7,/5-.2V 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Dinjision- 
Section 


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W^j^  (U^jaJ-^  b^o .2Lo  S  6 


JUL  18  1924 


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TRIALS  AND  CRUCIFIXION  OF 
CHRIST 


BY 

y 

A.  P.  STOUT 

Author  of  "Journeys  and  Deeds  of  Jesus,"  and  "  Chronology  of 
Christ's  Life." 


CINCINNATI 

STANDARD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1891 


Copyright,  1885,  by 
Standard  Publishing  Co. 


PREFACE. 


THE  TRIALS. 

Jesus'  trial  before  Annas  is  given  only  by  John ;  the  one 
before  the  Sanhedrists,  by  Matthew  and  Mark ;  the  one  be- 
fore the  Sanhedrin,  by  Luke ;  the  first  one  before  Pilate, 
mainly  by  John;  the  one  before  Herod  Antipas,  by  Luke; 
the  second  trial  before  Pilate,  mainly  by  the  Synoptists ; 
while  the  last  one,  the  most  exciting  and  wonderful  of  all,  is 
given  only  by  John. 

THE  DYING  UTTERANCES. 

The  Savior's  first  dying  utterances  are  given  only  by 
Luke ;  the  second  two,  by  John ;  the  fifth,  by  Matthew  and 
Mark;  the  sixth  and  seventh,  by  John;  and  the  last  one, 
only  by  Luke. 

PRAISE  TO  JOHN. 

It  is  to  John  alone  we  are  indebted  for  a  record  of  the 
Savior's  first  trial,  the  last  one,  and  the  closing  events  of 
the  crucifixion ;  embracing  the  breaking  of  the  robbers'  legs, 
the  early  death  of  Jesus,  the  lance  thrust,  and  the  flow  of 
blood  and  water  from  His  side. 

THE  BEST  METHOD. 

The  only  way  one  can  obtain  a  complete  and  connected 
knowledge  of  the  Savior's  Trials  and  Crucifixion  is  by  ar- 


4  Preface. 

ranging  the  Gospel  narratives  in  chronological  order,  and  by- 
making  one  evangelist  alternately  supply  the  omissions  of 
another.  Such  is  the  nature  of  this  book ;  and  the  author 
believes  that  all  who  carefully  read  it  will  obtain  a  far  more 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  Savior's  shameful  trials  and  vic- 
torious death  than  they  could  acquire  by  any  other  method 
of  study.  .  A.  P.  Stout. 

Norv.  I^th,  iSSj. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  SYNOPSIS 

OF  THE 

TRIALS  AND  CRUCIFIXION  OF  CHRIST 


Jesus  taken  to  Annas 

Prophecy  of  Caiaphas 

Jesus  before  Annas 

Jesus  smitten  on  the  face 

Jesus  sent  to  Caiaphas  by  Annas 

How  Peter  got  in  the  palace 

Peter's  denials  =•= 

Jesus  before  Sanhedrists 

Jesus  mocked  by  policemen 

Jesus  before  Sanhedrin 

Suicide  of  Judas 

Jesus  before  Pilate(i) 

Jews  demand  a  license  to  kill. 

Pilate  asks  the  Jews  to  judge  Jesus 

Jews  had  no  power  to  kill 

Jesus  accused  of  treason 

JesHS  questioned   on   his   kingship,   but 

does  not  answer 

Jesus  puts  a  question  to  Pilate 

Jesus  answers  Pilate 

Pilate  acquits  Jesus 

Jesus  accused  of  many  things 

He  says  nothing. 

Pilate  says,  "  Hearest  Thou  ?  "  etc 

He  answered  nothing 

Pilate  marveled  greatly 

Jesus  accused  of  disturbing  the  peace.. 

Jesus  before  Herod  Antipas 

He  answers  Herod  nothing 

Chief-priests  accuse  Jesus 

Jesus  mocked  before  Herod 

Herod  returns  Jesus  to  Pilate 

Pilate  and  Herod  become  friends 

Pilate  acquits  Jesus 

Pilate  seeks  to  release  Jesus 

Pilate  sits  down  on  judgment-seat 

Pilate  receives  a  message 

Pilate  washes  his  hands 

Pilate  acquits  Jesus 

Pilate  consents  to  Jesus'  death 

Pilate  has  Jesus  scourged 

Pilate's  soldiers  mock  Jesus 

Pilate  writes  a  title  for  the  cross 

The  Jews  object  to  the  title 

Jesus  before  Pilate  (3) 

Pilate  acquits  Jesus 


FOUND  IN  record  OF 


Matt, 
Matt. 
Matt. 


Matt 
Matt. 


Matt. 


Matt. 


Matt. 
Matt. 
Matt. 
Matt. 
Matt, 


Matt. 
Matt, 
Matt. 

Matt. 
Matt. 
Matt. 
Matt. 
Matt. 


Mark 
Mark 
Mark 


Mark 


Mark 


Mark 


Mark 
Mark 
Mark 
Mark 
Mark 


Mark 


Mark 
Mark 
Mark 


Luke 


Luke 
Luke 


Luke 


Luke 
Luke 


Luke 


Luke 
Luke 
Luke 
Luke 
Luke 
Luke 
Luke 
Luke 
Luke 


Luke 


'•'All  the  quotations  are  not  printed  in  this  book. 


(5) 


Chronological  Synopsis, 


Pilate  says,  "  Behold  the  Man" 

Pilate  again  acquits  Jesus 

Jesus  charged  with   being  the  "Son  of 

God" 

Pilate  takes  Jesus  into  Judgment-Hall, 

and  questions  Him 

Pilate  seeks  to  release  Jesus 

Pilate  sits  down  on  judgment-seat 

Pilate  cries,  "  Behold  your  King  !  " 

Pilate  consents  to  Jesus'  death 

Jesus  is  re-clothed  with  His  own  raiment 

Jesus  bears  His  cross ^ 

Simon  bears  Jesus'  cross 

Jesus  followed  by  weeping  women 

Arrival  at  Golgotha 

Jesus  offered  vinegar. 

Crucifixion  of  Jesus 

First  dying  utterance 

Crucifixion  of  the  robbers 

Reading  the  inscription 

Parting  Jesus'  garments 

Seamlessness  of  Jesus'  coat 

Number  of  soldiers  who  crucified  Jesus 

Casting  lots  for  His  coat - 

Jesus  mocked  by  the  multitude 

Jesus  mocked  by  Sanhedrists 

Jesus  mocked  by  the  Roman  soldiers 

Jesus  offered  vinegar 

Jesus  mocked  by  the  robbers 

Prayer  of  the  penitent  robber 

Second  dying  utterance 

Jesus'  mother  by  the  cross 

Jesus  looked  at  His  mother 

Third  dying  utterance 

Fourth  dying  utterance 

John  takes  Mary  to  his  home 

The  darkness 

Fifth  dying  utterance 

Sixth  dying  utterance 

Jesus  offered  vinegar 

Seventh  dying  utterance 

Eighth  dying  utterance 

Rending  of  the  veil 

The  earthquake 

How  the  centurion  was  affected 

Smiting  of  breasts 

The  holy  women  at  the  cross... 

Breaking  the  robbers'  legs 

The  lance  thrust 

The  water  and  the  blood 

Fulfillment  of  prophecy 


FOUND  IX  RECORD  OF 


Matt. 


Matt. 


Matt. 
Matt. 
Matt. 


Matt. 


Matt. 


Matt. 
Matt. 


Matt. 


Mark 


Mark 


Mark 
Mark 
Mark 


Mark 


Mark 


Mark 


Matt. 
Matt. 


Matt. 


Matt. 
Matt. 
Matt. 


Matt. 


Mark 
Mark 


John 
John 
John 
John 
John 
John 
John 
John 
John 
John 


Luke 
Luke 
Luke 


Luke 
Luke 
Luke 


Luke 


Luke 
Luke 


Luke 
Luke 


John 


John 
John 


John 
John 
John 
John 
John 
John 


Luke 


John 
John 
John 
John 
John 


Mark 


Mark 


Mark 


Mark 


Luke 
Luke 


Luke 


John 
John 
John 


John 
John 
John 
John 


THE  TRIALS  OF  CHRIST. 


SECTION  L— JESUS  BEFORE  ANNAS. 

John  xviii.  12-14,  19-24. 

12  So  the  band  and  the  chief  captain,  and 
the  officers  of  the  Jews,  seized  Jesus  and  bound 
Him, 

13  And  led  Him  to  Annas  first;  for  he  was 
father-in-law  to  Caiaphas,  which  was  high  priest 
that  year. 

14  Now  Caiaphas  was  he  which  gave  counsel 
to  the  Jews,  that  it  was  expedient  that  one  man 
should  die  for  the  people. 

19  The  high  priest  therefore  asked  Jesus  of 
His  disciples,  and  of  His  teaching. 

20  Jesus  answered  him,  I  have  spoken  openly 

to  the  world  ;  I  ever  taught  in  synagogues,  and 

(7) 


8  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

in   the  temple,   where  all  the   Jews  come  to- 
gether ;  and  in  secret  spake  I  nothing. 

21  Why  askest  thou  me?  Ask  them  that 
have  heard  me,  what  I  spake  unto  them:  be- 
hold, these  know  the  things  which  I  said. 

22  And  when  He  had  said  this,  one  of  the 
officers  standing  by  struck  Jesus  with  his  hand, 
saying,  Answerest  Thou  the  high  priest  so  ? 

23  Jesus  answered  him.  If  I  have  spoken 
evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil :  but  if  well,  why 
smitest  thou  Me  ? 

24  Annas  therefore  sent  Him  bound  unto 
Caiaphas  the  high  priest. 

ON   SECTION    I. 

On  that  ever-memorable  night — Thursday  night,  April  14, 
A.  D.  30 — a  semi-ecclesiastical  mob  went  from  Jerusalem  to 
Gethsemane,  surrounded,  arrested,  tied,  and  led  "the  Prince 
of  Peace  "  to  the  crafty  Sadducean  ex-high-priest  Annas. 
This  deicidal  company  was  composed  of  a  band  of  Roman 
soldiers,  Jewish  temple  police,  chief  priests,  elders  of  the 
Jews,  and  a  multitude  of  others ;  all  of  whom  were  armed 
and  led  on  by  the  chief  Roman  captain,  who  himself  was  led 
on  by  one  of  the  Savior's  apostles  —  the  notorious  Judas 
Iscariot. 

The  Savior  of  mankind  patiently  endured  seven  distinct 
trials  at  the  hands  of  the  Jerusalemic  deicides.  The  first 
three  —  the  one  before  Annas,  the  one  before  Caiaphas  and 
Sanhedrists,  and  the  morning  session  before  the  Sanhedrin — 


Section  I.  9 

were  ecclesiastical  and  Jewish.  The  first  trial  before  Pontius 
Pilate,  the  one  before  Herod  Antipas,  and  the  last  two  before 
Pilate,  were  Roman  and  secular. 

13  ♦*  To  Annas  first." — Three  things  conspired  to  induce 
the  mob  to  lead  Jesus  first  to  Annas  :  First,  because  the 
Jews  still  regarded  Annas  as  their  real  high  priest.  This, 
as  Dr.  Lange  says,  "was  entirely  according  to  the  theocratic 
feeling  of  legitimate  right  on  the  part  of  the  Jews.  They 
considered  Annas  as  their  real  high  priest ;  Caiaphas,  on  the 
other  hand,  they  were  compelled  to  acquiesce  in,  as  the  high 
priest  of  the  year  "  (Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  304).  Annas 
was  deposed  from  the  priesthood  by  the  heathen  Roman 
power ;  which  could  not,  in  the  eyes  of  the  Jews,  give  or 
take  away  a  sacred  and  spiritual  office.  Therefore,  it  was  but 
natural  that  the  strong  Jewish  police  force,  that  went  to 
arrest  Jesus,  should  lead  Him  to  Annas  first.  Secondly,  be- 
cause Annas  was  the  most  crafty  and  influential  man  con- 
nected with  the  priesthood.  Thirdly,  and  least  of  .11,  be- 
cause Annas  was  the  father-in-law  of  Caiaphas. 

14  **  Gave  counsel,"  etc. — These  words  refer  to  the  lan- 
guage made  use  of  by  Caiaphas  in  a  death-council*  held  in 
Jerusalem  by  the  Sanhedrists,  immediately  after  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Lazarus.  It  was  in  that  bloody  council  that  Caiaphas 
first  publicly  made  known  his  intention  to  accomplish  the 
death  of  Jesus.     In  so  doing,  even  in  his  wrath,  he  made  an 

^unconscious  prophecy,  which  reminds  one  of  the  language  of 
David,  "  Surely  the  wrath  of  man  shall  praise  Thee  :  the 
remainder  of  wrath  shalt  Thou  restrain  "  (Ps.  Ixxvi.  10). 

.  .  .  [Verses  15-18,  referring  to  Peter's  first  denial  of 
the  Lord,  have  been  transferred  to  Section  Second,  in  order 
to  preserve  the  continuity  of  the  trial  before  Annas.] 

19  "The  high  priest." — These  words  refer  to  Annas,  as 


*  See  John  xi.  46-53. 


lO  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

verse  24  shows.  He  was  addressed  as  high  priest  long  after 
he  was  deposed  by  the  Romans.  See  Luke  iii.  2  ;  Acts  iv.  6. 
The  great  chronologist  Karl  Wieseler  says  :  **  It  is  also  per- 
fectly clear,  that  the  President  of  the  Sanhedrin,  the  Nasi, 
might  bear  this  name  (high  priest),  especially  from  Acts  v. 
21,  27;  vii.  I  ;  ix.  i,  2;  xxii.  5;  xxiii.  2,  4;  and  xxiv.  i,  in 
which  passages  the  word  uniformly  denotes  either  persons 
who  summoned  the  Sanhedrin,  or  who  spoke  first  in  it,  and 
issued  orders  ;  in  short,  the  president." 

"Asked  Jesus  of  His  disciples,  and  of  His  teaching." 
— For  many  months  prior  to  that  fatal  night,  Annas  and 
Caiaphas  had  been  watching  every  public  movement  of  Jesus. 
And,  when  their  Pharisaic  spies  informed  them  that  great 
multitudes  went  out  from  Jerusalem  to  the  top  of  Mount 
Olivet  to  make  a  grand  ovation  to  Him ;  that  they  cut 
branches  from  the  trees  and  scattered  them  in  the  way;  that 
many  took  off  their  outer  garments  and  carpeted  the  road 
-before  Him ;  that  the  multifudes  that  went  before,  and  the 
multitudes  that  followed  after,  carried  palm-branches  in  their 
hands,  and  flourished  them  in  the  air,  shouting  at  the  top  of 
their  voices,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  !  Blessed  is  the 
King  of  Israel  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  \ 
Blessed  be  the  kingdom  of  our  father  David,  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord!  Hosanna  in  the  highest!" — yea, 
when  they  heard  that  in  the  midst  of  these  wonderful  demon- 
strations, acclamations  and  proclamations.  He  rode  triumph- 
antly into  the  Holy  City  and  swayed  the  multitudes  before 
Him,  and  drew  the  world  after  Him  ;  yea,  then  it  was  that  an 
indescribable  awe  seized  them,  and  they  greatly  feared  that 
the  temple  and  lucrative  priesthood  might  suddenly  be 
wrested  from  their  clutches ;  therefore,  thenceforth  they 
sought,  day  by  day*  and  night  by  night,  to  arrest  Him,  to 


=•'■  See  Mark  xi.  18,  28 ;  xii.  12,  28 ;  xiv.  i,  10 ;  John  xii.  36. 


Section  I.  II 

spy  out  His  doctrine,  the  nature  of  His  kingdom  and  the 
number  and  names  of  His  followers.  Hence,  Annas  was 
greatly  rejoiced,  and  disarmed  of  his  fears,  when  Jesus 
stood  before  him  guarded  by  the  Jewish  temple  police, 
with  His  hands  tied  behind  Him,  and  with  the  marks  of  the 
bloody  sweat  of  Gethsemane  on  His  face.  This  was  an  hour 
of  supreme  importance  to  the  crafty  Annas;  for  he  well 
knew  that  on  the  previous  Tuesday,  Jesus  had  thwarted  the 
purpose  of,  and  put  to  silence,  the  chief  priests,  the  elders, 
the  Pharisees,  the  Herodians,  the  Sadducees,  and  the  Phari- 
saic expert  lawyer,  all  of  whom  had  been  sent  by  the  San- 
hedrin  "  to  catch  Him  in  His  words  "  (Mark),  to  "  entangle 
Him  in  His  talk  "  (Matt.).  But  now,  He  stood  in  the  pres- 
ence of  one  whose  purpose  He  could  not  thwart,  and  whose 
questions  He  could  not  put  aside  by  asking  others.  Therefore, 
Annas  confidently  expected  the  answers  to  his  questions  to  re- 
veal the  extent  of  Jesus'  anti-Rabbinic  doctrine  and  His  rela- 
tion to  and  sympathy  with  the  Roman  Empire.  Thus  he  began:. 
"Jesus,  I  perceive  that  for  a  long  time  you  have  been  teach- 
ing an  occult  doctrine,  and  gathering  about  you  many  disci- 
ples, for  the  express  purpose  of  publicly  proclaiming  you. 
'  King  of  Israel '  at  this  very  Passover.  "What  secret  doc- 
trine have  you  been  teaching  ?  How  many  followers  have 
you  ?  and  what  the  nariies  of  the  leading  ones  ?  "  Jesus  an- 
swered the  first  question  in  part  by  saying,  "  In  secret  spake 
I  nothing,"  and  refused  to  answer  it  in  part  by  saying,  "  Ask 
them  that  have  heard  Me  what  1  spake  unto  them."  The 
second  and  third  questions  Jesus  passed  over  in  utter  silence, 
for  He  did  not  intend  that  His  disciples  should  be  arrested. 
Such  a  half-and-half-way  answering  of  questions  not  only- 
confused,  but  angered  Annas  ;  which  was  no  sooner  seen 
than  a  contemptible  slave  smote  Jesus  in  the  face  with  his- 
hand.     Annas   knew  that  he   could  extort  nothing  further 


12  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

from  the  lips  of  Jesus ;  and  He  knew  that  Annas*  was  not 
the  legal  high  priest,  and  that  no  words  He  could  utter,  or 
tefuse  to  utter,  would  save  Him  from  the  jaws  of  the  gaping 
lion  to  whom  fate  had  shut  Him  up. 

24  •'  Sent  Him  bound,"  etc. — A  sign  that  Caiaphas'  long- 
cherished  bloody  purpose  should  be  carried  out.  [The  send- 
ing of  Jesus  to  Caiaphas  was  across  an  open  court :  see  notes 
and  diagram  facing  Section  III.] 


SECTION  IL— PETERS  FIRST  DENIAL 

54  "And  they  seized  Him,  and  led  Him 
away,  and  brought  Him  into  the  high  priest's 
iiouse  "  (Luke  xxii.). 

15  "  And  Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus,  and  so 
•did  another  disciple  "  (John  xviii.). 

54  '' But  Peter  followed  afar  off"  (Luke  xxii.). 

15  ''Now  that  disciple  [John]  was  known 
unto  the  high  priest,  and  entered  in  with  Jesus 
into  the  court  of  the  high  priest ; 

16  But  Peter  was  standing  at  the  door  with- 
out. So  the  other  disciple,  which  was  known 
unto  the  high  priest,  went  out  and  spake  unto 
Tier  that  kept  the  door,  and  brought  in  Peter. 


*See  the  word  "  Annas,"  in  Historical  Appendix. 


Section  11.  13 

1 8  *  *  Now  the  servants  and  officers  were  stand- 
ing there,  having  made  a  fire  of  coals  "  (John 
xviii.) ' '  in  the  midst  of  the  court*'  (Luke  xxii.  5  5), 
* '  for  it  was  cold  ;  and  they  were  warming  them- 
selves :  and  Peter  also  was  with  them,  standing 
and  warming  himself"  (John  xvili.  18). 

55  "  And  when  they  .  .  ,  had  sat  down 
together,  Peter  sat  in  the  midst  of  them  ** 
(Luke xxii.),  *'  to  see  the  end  "  (Matt.  xxvi.  59), 

56  *'  And  a  certain  maid,  seeing  him  as  he 
sat  in  the  light  of  the  fire,  and  looking  stead- 
fastly upon  him,  said,  This  man  also  was  with 
Him. 

57  "  But  he  denied,  saying.  Woman,  I  know 
Him  not  "  (Luke  xxii.),  "  I  know  not  what  thou 
sayest  "  (Matt,  xxvii.  70).  "  And  he  went  out 
into  the  porch,  and  the  cock  crew"  (Mark  yiw.6Z)^ 

ON  SECTION  II. —  Peter's  first  denial. 

When  *'  the  Prince  of  Peace  "  was  arrested  in  Gethsemane, 
all  the  apostles,  save  Judas,  forsook  Him  and  ran  for  their 
lives.  John  was  the  last  to  leave  the  Savior's  side,  and  the 
first  to  return  to  it.  He  returned  in  time  to  go  with  Jesus 
into  the  palace  of  Caiaphas.  Peter — poor  Peter — having  been 
scared  worse,  ran  further,  and  returned  later  —  but  returned 
in  time  to  keep  in  sight  of  the  torches  and  lanterns,  and  to 
see  the  mob  enter  the  palace  at  the  great  gate,  and  the  Roman 
soldiers  disperse.     And  then  with  fear,  and  love,  and  hope. 


14  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

and  doubt,  he  stilly  skulked  along  the  darkest  way  up  to  the 
wicket  gate,  and  there  tremblingly  stood.  John,  being  in- 
formed of  this,  went  out  and  said,  "  Brother  Peter,  come  into 
the  palace."  Peter  said,  "No,  I  am  afraid  I  shall  be  arrested 
for  having  cut  Malchus'  ear  off;  for  he  is  a  servant  of  Caia- 
phas,  and  you  know  he  hates  Jesus  and  His  apostles  with  a 
perfect  hatred.  Have  you  heard  anything  said  about  arrest- 
ing me  ?  "  "  Not  a  word,"  says  John  ;  "  Malchus'  ear  is  as 
good  as  it  ever  was."  "  What  have  they  done  with  the 
Master?"  says  Peter.  "They  took  Him  to  Annas,"  said 
John,  "  but  the  servants  have  built  a  fire  in  the  open  court 
and  are  warming  themselves.  Come  in,  Peter."  He  went  in, 
stood  by  the  fire,and  warmed  his  hands,  but  cold  was  his  heart ; 
for  a  storm  was  raging  in  his  soul  —  a  storm  far  more  disas- 
trous than  the  one  in  the  midst  of  which  he  walked  on  the 
raging  billows  of  the  Galilean  Sea.  He  sat  down  among  the 
servants  and  officer,  in  the  too  great  light  of  the  fire.  Then 
it  was  that  a  maid  approached,  steadfastly  gazed  him  in  the 
eyes,  pointed  her  finger  in  his  guilty  face,  and  said,  '*  Peter, 
thou  also  wast  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  He  was  off  his 
guard,  and  doubtless  felt  that  nothing  but  a  lie  would  save 
him.  It  came  :  "  Woman,*  I  know  Him  not  "  —  "I  know 
not  what  thou  sayest."  In  fact,  he  told  two  lies;  first,  in 
that  he  said  he  did  not  know  Jesus ;  secondly,  in  that  he  said 
he  did  not  know  what  the  woman  was  talking  about.  He 
wanted  to  make  the  maid,  and  especially  the  officers  hard  by, 


*  Annas  and  Caiaphas  doubtless  were  occupying  the  same  palace  at 
this  time.  This  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  all  of  Peter's  denials  oc- 
curred in  the  same  court,  by  or  near  the  same  fire  ;  while  the  position 
of  Jesus  changed  from  Annas  to  Caiaphas.  In  Keim's  Jesus  of 
Nazara,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  59;  Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol,  IV.,  p.  305; 
Farrar's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  II.,  p.  328;  and  in  Karl  Wieseler's 
Chronological  Synopsis  of  the  Gospels,  the  reader  will  find  the  same 
position  taken.    See  explanation  of  the  diagram  facing  Section  III. 


Section  II.  15 

believe  that  he  knew  nothing  whatever  of  what  was  going  on 
before  Annas.  Soon  after  this,  he  slunk  out  into  the  porch, 
and  may  it  not  have  been  as  Jesus  was  being  led  across  the 
cpen  court  from  Annas  to  Caiaphas  ?  (See  diagram,  page  16.) 
John  committed  a  great  mistake  in  leading  Peter  on  to  such  a 
slippery  path.  What  has  become  of  Peter's  willingness  to  go 
into  prison  with  Jesus  ?  what  of  his  determination  to  die  with 
Him?  what  of  his  willingness  to  fight  for  Him  ?  what  of  his 
sword  ?  He  lost  them  all  in  the  garden — lost  them,  in  part, 
at  least,  because  he  slept  when  he  should  have  prayed.  From 
the  same  cause,  many  a  Christian  has  lost  as  much,  with  more 
disgrace.     See  notes  on  Section  IV. 


*dbb 


Open  Court 


Diagram  of  Caiaphas'  Palace,  Illustrative  of  Jesus 
Annas,  before  Sanhedrists,  and  of  Peter's  Denials 


Copyright,  1886,  by  Standard  Publishing  Company. 
(16) 


Diagram  of  Caiaphas'  Palacb. 

Ejrpianaiion.—"  The  houses  of  the  great  in  the  East  are  rather  a 
group  of  buildings,  or  chambers,  of  unequal  height,  near  or  above 
each  other,  with  passages  between  and  intervening  open  spaces,  the 
different  structures  having  independent  entrances  and  separate  roofs. 
Such  a  house,  or  rather  cluster  of  houses,  has  usually  the  form  of  a 
large  hollow  square,  the  four  sides  of  which  surround  a  roomy  court, 
paved  in  some  cases,  in  others  planted  with  trees  and  ornamented  with 

a  lawn  of  soft  green In  some  houses  there  is  also  a  fore-court, 

enclosed  from  the  street  by  walls,  and,  in  all,  the  inner  court  is  reached 
by  an  archway  through  the  front  building—'  the  porch,'  in  the  aar- 
ratives  of  the  Gospels." — Dr,  Geikie. 

Jesus  IS  led  to  A — Annas,  where  he  is  guarded  hy  d  i>  ir  b — 
Jewish  temple-police.  /.  Peter  follows  Jesus,  and  halts  at  Wicket 
gate.  2  2.  John  takes  Peter  into  the  Open  Court,  where  he  stands  by 
the  fire.  3.  Peter  sits  down  among  the  servants,  warms,  and  denies 
his  Lord  while  He  is  on  trial  before  A.  4  4.  Peter  sneaks  out  into  the 
porch  as  Jesus  is  being  led  to  Caiaphas  and  Sanhedrists      C  d    Positions 

of  Caiaphas  and  Annas  during  the  trial.     E.   Position  of  Jesus 

Positions  in  which  Sanhedrists  sat.  g g.  Scribes  who  wrote  out  the 
condemnation  of  Jesus,  j.  Peter  returns  to  the  fire,  and  makes  his 
third  denial,  h.  Supposed  point  where  "the  Lord  turned  and  looked 
upon  Peter."  i  i  i.  Jesus  is  taken  into  the  Fore  Court  guarded,  and 
beaten  by  Jewish  temple-police.  6.  Peter  goes  out  and  weeps  bitterly. 
Jjj'  Jesus  is  taken  to  Council  Chamber.     See  diagram,  Sec.  7. 

(17) 


SECOND  TRIAL. 

SECTION  III.— JESUS  BEFORE   THE 
SANHEDRISTS. 

24  "Annas  therefore  sent  Him  bound  unto 
Caiaphas  the  high  priest  "  (John  xviii.). 

57  **  And  they  that  had  taken  Jesus  led  Him 
away  to  the  house  of  Caiaphas  the  high  priest, 
where  the  scribes  and  the  elders  were  gathered 
together"  (Matt.  xxvi.). 

53  '*  And  there  come  together  with  him  al] 
the  chief  priests  and  the  elders  and  the  scribes  " 
(Mark  xiv.). 

59  *'  Now  the  chief  priests  and  the  whole 
council  sought  false  witness  against  Jesus,  that 
they  might  put  Him  to  death  ; 

60  **And  they  found  it  not,  though  many 
false  witnesses  came.  But  afterward  came  two, 
and  said, 

61  *'This  man  said,  I  am  able  to  destroy  the 
temple  of  God,  and  to  build  it  in  three  days" 
(Matt.  xxvi.).  ''And  there  stood  up  certain, 
and  bare  false  witness  against  Him,  saying, 


Section  III.  19 

58  "  We  heard  Him  say,  I  will  destroy  this 
temple  that  is  made  with  hands,  and  in  three 
days  I  will  build  another  made  without  hands. 

59  ''And  not  even  so  did  their  witness  agree 
together. 

60  "  And  the  high  priest  stood  up  in  the 
midst,  and  asked  Jesus,  saying,  Answerest  Thou 
nothing  ?  what  is  it  which  these  witness  against 
Thee? 

61  ''But  He  held  His  peace,  and  answered 
nothing"  (Mark  xiv.). 

63  "And  the  high  priest  said  unto  Him,  I 
adjure  Thee  by  the  living  God,  that  Thou  tell 
us  whether  Thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God. 

64  "Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Thou  hast'  said: 
nevertheless  I  say  unto  you,  Henceforth  ye 
shall  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  at  the  right 
hand  of  power,  and  coming  on  the  clouds  of 
heaven. 

65  "Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  garments, 
saying.  He  hath  spoken  blasphemy  :  what  fur- 
ther need  have  we  of  witnesses  ?  behold,  now, 
ye  have  heard  the  blasphemy :  what  think  ye  ? 
They  answered  and  said,  He  is  worthy  of  death" 
(Matt.  xxvi.). 

64  "And  they  all  condemned  Him  to  be 
guilty  of  death"  (Mark  xv.). 


20  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

ON    SECTION    III.  —  JESUS    BEFORE   THE 
SANHEDRISTS. 

John  is  the  only  one  M'ho  tells  us  that  Jesus  was  taken  be- 
fore Annas,  and  sent  by  him  to  Caiaphas.  The  Synoptists,* 
omitting  the  first  trial,  necessarily  speak  of  the  matter  as 
though  Jesus  was  taken  direct  from  Gethsemane  to  Caiaphas ; 
and  yet  they  do  not  exactly  say  so,  but  leave  easy  room  for 
John's  historical  addition,  for  which  we  thank  him. 

Jesus'  trial  before  the  Sanhedrists  was  illegal  t  from  first  to 
last.  This  trial  was  planned  and  controlled  by  the  Saddu- 
cean  high  priest,  Joseph  Caiaphas.  He  began  to  gather 
together  his  colleagues  as  soon  as,  if  not  before,  the  mob  of 
dignitaries  left  Jerusalem  for  the  Savior's  arrest ;  and  when 
He  was  brought  before  him,  he  was  more  than  ready  to  give 
vent  to  his  long  pent-up  feelings  of  vengeance. 

The  Pharisees  Sunk  out  of  Sight. — Caiaphas'  court  was 
exclusively  ecclesiastical ;  the  Pharisees,  as  a  class,  having 
withdrawn  their  opposition  to  Jesus.  Just  before  the  Savior 
left  the  temple  for  the  last  time  (which  was  on  Tuesday, 
April  I2th,  of  Passion  Week),  He  delivered  a  condemnation 
sermon  of  seven-told-woes  against  the  scribes  and  Pharisees, 
which  forever  killed  the  opposition  of  the  latter,  but  seems 
to  have  whet  the  anger  of  the  former. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  the  Pharisees  persecuted  Jesus 
after  that  time.  Matthew  drops  their  history,  as  a  class, 
with  that  event  (xxiii.  29),  and  the  only  mention  he  makes  of 
them  thereafter  is  in  reference  to  guarding  the  Savior's  tomb 


*  Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke. 

fThe  time,  the  place,  and  the  number  of  Sanhedrists  present  —  all 
were  illegal.  See  the  word  "  Sanhedrin."  Dr.  Lange  quotes  Sepp  as 
saying  that  "  the  midnight  session  had  only  been  opened  by  the  little 
council  of  three-and-twenty,  or  the  members  of  the  priesthood  in  the 
house  of  Caiaphas." 


Section  III.  21 

(xxvii.  62),  Mark  drops  their  history  a  little  earlier,  but  on 
the  same  memorable  day,  and  never  mentions  them  again 
(Mark  xii.  13).  Luke  drops  the  history  of  the  Pharisees  with 
the  date  of  the  Savior's  triumphal  entry,  and  never  men- 
tions them  again  (xix.  39).  John  drops  their  history  with 
Wednesday  of  Passion  Week,  and  never  mentions  them 
again,  save  in  an  incidental  way.  See  John  xii.  42,  and 
xviii.  3,  which  last  really  refers  to  the  scribes  and  elders  who 
were  of  Pharisean  extraction. 

This  exonerates  the  Pharisees  from  the  death  of  Jesus,  and 
throws  the  guilt  where  it  rightfully  belongs,  on  the  chief 
priests,  scribes,  and  elders.  It  was  the  chief  priests  who 
hired  Judas  to  betray  Jesus  (Matt.  xxvi.  14).  The  chief 
priests,  scribes  and  elders  sent  officers  to  arrest  Jesus  (Mark 
xiv.  43).  It  was  the  chief  priests,  scribes  and  elders  who 
sought  for  false  witnesses,  and  pronounced  the  first  sentence 
of  death  on  Jesus  (Section  III.).  They  also  led  Him  before 
the  Sanhedrin,  and  pronounced  a  second  sentence  of  death 
on  Him  (Section  VII.).  To  them  Judas  returned  the  blood- 
money  (Section  VIII.).  It  was  the  chief-priests,  scribes  and 
elders  who  led  Jesus  to  Pilate,  and  demanded  a  license  to  kill 
Him  (Sections  IX.  and  X.).  They  also  accused  Him  of 
treason  (Section  XI.)  ;  of  many  things  (Section  XIV.)  ;  of 
disturbing  the  peace  (Section  XV.).  It  was  the  chief  priests 
and  scribes  who  vehemently  accused  Jesus  before  Herod 
Antifias  (Section  XVI.).  The  chief  priests  and  elders  per- 
suaded the  multitude  to  cry  out  for  the  release  of  Barabbas, 
and  for  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  (Section  XVIII.).  They  also 
cried,  *'  His  blood  be  on  us  and  on  our  children  "  (Section 
XIX.).  The  chief  priests  objected  to  the  title  for  Jesus'  cross 
(Section  XXIII.);  and  when  Pilate  brought  Him  out  on  the 
pavement,  "  wearing  the  crown  of  thorns,  and  the  purple 
robe,"  with  the  blood  streaming  from  a  score  of  gashes,  and 
rolling  down  His  cheeks, — yea,  when  Pilate  cried  out  in  pity, 


22  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

•*  Behold  the  Man  !  "  —  their  ready  answer  was,  **  Crucify 
Him  !  crucify  Him  !  "  (Section  XXIV.)  They  also  gave  the 
last  cry,  "  We  have  no  king  but  Csesar  !  "  —  the  one  that  led 
Pilate  to  deliver  Jesus  to  be  crucified  (Section  XXVH.).  The 
chief  priests,  scribes  and  elders  mocked  Jesus  as  He  wa§ 
dying  (Section  XXXIV,).  These  were  the  deicides,  and  not 
the  Pharisees.  My  position  is  new,  but  tenable;  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  no  intelligent  Bible  student  can  trace  this 
scarlet  thread  chronologically  along,  without  arriving  at  the 
conclusion  that  the  chief  priests,  scribes  and  elders  were 
responsible  for,  and  guilty  of,  the  blood  of  the  Lord. 

I  would  grade  the  guilt  of  those  who  directly  figured  in 
the  death  of  Jesus  in  the  following  order,  viz.  :  Most  guilty^ 
Joseph  Caiaphas ;  next,  Annas ;  next,  chief  priests,  scribes 
and  elders;  next,  Herod  Antipas;  next,  Judas  Iscariot ; 
least  guilty,  Pontius  Pilate.  Caiaphas  was  the  first  official 
who  pronounced  the  sentence  of  death  on  Jesus;  but  Pilate 
was  the  only  one  who  pronounced  Him  innocent,  and  sought 
to  save  His  life ;  and  for  so  doing  he  shall  have  a  word  of 
eulogy.     See  notes  on  Section  XXVH. 

59  "  Sought  false  v^^itnesses,"  etc. — Matthew's  statement 
reflects  eternal  disgrace  on  that  would-be  ecclesiastical  courts 
for  he  says  there  was  not  an  honest  man  among  them,  and  that 
they  were  united  in  seeking  false  witnesses.  They  were 
determined  to  have  no  other  kind.  Why  was  it  Caiaphas  did 
not  have  John  put  on  the  witness-stand  ?  He  was  present, 
and  known  to  him.  Because  he  was  hunting  for  liars,  who 
were  by  no  means  scarce.  We  have  a  record  of  the  oaths  of 
two  of  them. 

Liar  Number  One  swore  he  heard  Jesus  say,  "  I  am 
able  to  destroy  the  temple  of  God,  and  to  build  it  in  three 
days"  (Matt.). 

Liar   Number   Two  swore  he  heard   Him  say,  •*  I  will 


Section  III.  23 

destroy  this  temple  that  is  made  with  hands,  and  in  three  days 
I  will  build  another  made  without  hands  "  (Mark). 

Each  statement  was  utterly  false.  The  time  when  Jesus 
was  said  to  have  threatened  to  destroy  the  temple,  was  at  the 
first  cleansing  of  it,  when   He   said  to  the  Jews,  <*  Destroy 

this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up 

But  He  spake  of  the  temple  of  His  body  "  (John).  If  Jesus 
had  threatened  to  destroy  the  Jerusalem  temple,  and  both 
witnesses  had  sworn  to  that  effect,  they  might  have  had  some 
ground  for  complaint ;  but  as  it  was,  there  was  less  than 
nothing  to  Caiaphas  in  their  testimony  ;  for  one  witness  off- 
set the  oath  of  the  other. 

Caiaphas  saw  that  his  case  was  growing  rapidly  against  him  ; 
and  he  resolved  to  take  the  whole  matter  into  his  own  hands; 
for  he  well  knew  that  the  Sanhedrists  in  this  case  were  to 
him  like  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter.  Therefore,  he 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  with  pontifical  assumption  said  to 
Jesus,  "  Answerest  Thou  nothing  ?  what  is  it  which  these 
witness  against  Thee  ?  "  He  was  silent ;  and  that  silence  to 
Caiaphas  was  both  awful  and  eloquent. 

Jesus  on  Oath. — The  high  priest  then  lost  his  self-control, 
sprang  towards  the  bound  Christ,  and,  with  uplifted  arm  and 
threatening  voice,  said,  **  I  put  Thee  on  Thy  oath  by  the 
living  God,  whose  curse  falls  on  those  who  swear  falsely  by 
Him,  and  require  Thee  to  tell  us  whether  Thou  be  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God."  Jesus  answered,  "  I  am."  Caia- 
phas then  stooped  down,  rent  his  fine  linen  robe  from  bottom 
to  top;  then  turned  to  the  Sanhedrists,  and  cried,  ''Blas- 
phemy !  blasphemy !  blasphemy  !  What  further  need  have 
we  of  witnesses?  He  hath  blasphemed.  He  is  guilty  of 
death.  What  say  you,  my  colleagues  ?  "  Their  answer  was 
ready,  and  was  one  answer — "  He  is  guilty  of  death."  It 
was  so  recorded,  and  thus  ended  the  trial  before  the  Sanhed- 
rical  mob. 


24  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

Dr.  Lange,  in  speaking  of  Jesus'  answer  to  Caiaphas,  saysi 
♦*  It  was  a  moment  which  was  filled  with  the  powers  of 
eternity  in  a  most  mysterious  manner.  Here,  in  the  oath  of 
Christ,  the  Everlasting  swore  by  Himself  (Isa.  xlv.  23).  But 
it  M'as  a  tragical  moment,  as  never  any  other  was.  For  this 
word,  —  *  I  am  He,  the  Messiah '  —  the  people  of  Israel  had 
waited  for  centuries,  as  for  the  watchword  of  their  redemp- 
tion. The  Jews  had  for  years  sought  to  elicit  this  word  from 
the  Lord ;  and  at  first,  perhaps,  with  the  desire  to  worship 
Him,  if  He  only  would  be  a  Messiah  alter  their  sense ;  and 
now,  when  He  declares  it,  it  is  to  them  a  savor  of  death 
unto  death.  They  charge  it  upon  Him  as  a  crime  worthy  of 
death  "  (Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  309). 

In  this  trial,  Caiaphas  assumed  the  positions  of  judge  and 
prosecuting  attorney,  the  latter  of  which  he  doubtless  contin- 
ued to  assume  during  all  the  Savior's  trials.  No  one  repre- 
sented the  Defendant's  interest,  and  not  a  witness  was 
brought  forward  in  His  behalf. 

Caiaphas  blasphemed  ;  for,  to  speak  of  Christ  as  He  did, 
was  blasphemy  in  the  strictest  sense.  See  my  article  on 
Blasphemy.  "  It  was  before  a  mob  of  dignitaries,  not  a 
*  court,'  that  Jesus  was  brought"  (Dr.  Geikie,  Vol.  II.,  p. 
515)- 


SECTION  IV.— PETER'S  SECOND   AND 
THIRD   DENIALS    OF  CHRIST 

58  "And  after  a  little  while  another  saw 
him  and  said,  Thou  also  art  of  them.  And 
Peter  said,  Man,  I  am  not  "  (Luke  xxiii.). 


Section    V.  25 

71  "And  when  he  was  gone  out  into  the 
porch,  another  maid  saw  him,  and  saith  unto 
them  that  were  there,  This  man  also  was  with 
Jesus  the  Nazarene. 

72  ''And  again  he  denied  with  an  oath,  I 
know  not  the  Man  "  (Matt,  xxvii.). 

ON    SECTION    IV. 

Strictly  speaking,  Peter  denied  the  Lord  five  times.  First, 
by  the  fire,  when  questioned  by  a  maid.  See  Section  II. 
Secondly,  in  the  porch,  when  questioned  by  a  man.  See 
above.  Thirdly,  in  the  porch,  when  questioned  by  the  sec- 
ond maid.  See  above.  Fourth,  by  the  fire,  when  questioned 
by  diff'erent  parties.  See  Sec.  V.  Fifth,  by  the  fire,  when 
questioned  by  different  parties.  See  Section  V.  and  the  notes 
thereon. 


SECTION  V. -^PETERS  FOURTH  AND 
FIFTH  DENIALS, 

25  *'Now  Simon  Peter  was  standing  and 
warming  himself.  They  said  therefore  unto 
him,  Art  thou  also  one  of  His  disciples  ?  He 
denied,  and  said,  I  am  not  "  (John  xviii.). 

70  ' '  And  a  little  after,  they  that  stood  by 
said  again  to  Peter,  Surely  thou  art  one  of  them  : 


2()  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

for  thou  art  a  Galilean,  and  thy  speech  agreeth 
thereto  "  (Mark  xv.,  A.  V.*). 

26  **  One  of  the  servants  of  the  high  priest, 
being  a  kinsman  of  him  whose  ear  Peter  cut 
off,  saith,  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden  with 
Him  ?  "  (John  xviii.). 

74  "Then  began  he  to  curse  and  to  swear, 
saying,!  knownotthe  Man"(Matt.xxvii.,  A.  V.). 

60  '  *  And  immediately,  while  he  yet  spake, 
the  cock  crew. 

61  "And  the  Lord  turned,  and  looked  upon 
Peter"  (Luke  xxiii.,  A.  V.). 

72  "  And  Peter  called  to  mind  the  word  that 
Jesus  said  unto  him,  Before  the  cock  crow 
twice,  thou  shalt  deny  Me  thrice  "  (Mark  xv.). 

62  ' '  And  Peter  went  out  and  wept  f  bitterly  " 
(Luke  xxiii.,  A.  V.). 

ON    SECTION    V. 

Soon  after  Peter  returned  to  the  fire  he  was  questioned  by 
different  parties  to  the  same  effect,  **  Art  thou  a  disciple  of 
Jesus?"  to  all  of  whom  he  emphatically  declared,  "I  am 
not."  In  a  short  time  some  of  the  same  parties  questioned 
him  again,  saying,  "Peter,  surely  thou  art  one  of  Jesus' 
disciples,  for  thou  hast  the  Galilean  brogue,  and  thy  speech 


■••  All  scripture  not  marked  A.  V.  is  the  text  of  the  Revised  Version. 

■j- "  He  drew  his  mantle  over  his  head,"  so  should  the  word  be  rendered 
(before  or  while  doing  which  he  must  immediately  have  gone  out),  "and 
wept"  (Greswell,  Vol.  III.,  p.  210.) 


Section    V.  27 

betrays  thee ; "  and  before  he  could  frame  an  answer 
to  that  sharp  thrust,  one  of  the  servants  of  the  high-priest, 
who  was  akin  to  the  man  whose  ear  Peter  cut  off,  said, 
**  Peter,  I  saw  thee  in  the  garden  with  Jesus;  I  saw  thee  cut 
Malchus'  ear  off;  I  saw  thee  run."  There  was  no  dodging, 
and  the  only  thing  he  could  do  was  to  try  to  shield  himself  by 
a  flat  denial,  and  by  bitter  oaths.  But  all  this  was  a  signifi- 
cant failure ;  for,  while  in  the  very  act  of  cursing  and  swear- 
ing, the  cock  by  crowing  announced  the  repetition  of  his  sin  ; 
and  before  its  voice  had  died  away  on  the  morning  air,  the 
Lord,  who  was  being  led  past  the  fire,  turned  and  looked 
upon  Peter.  That  look,  though  Jesus  was  a  bound  prisoner  ; 
though  He  was  condemned  to  die  ;  though  not  a  word  He 
spoke;  that  look,  though  filled  with  pity,  love  and  grace, 
though  brief  its  stay,  was  more  for  him  to  face  than  the 
Gethsemane  mob,  the  maids,  and  all  things  else  beside.  It 
reflected  the  light  of  heaven  in  his  face,  and  revealed  the 
grace  of  Jesus  to  his  soul,  by  causing  him  to  remember  that 
in  the  guest-chamber  He  had  foretold  that  bitter  moment,  and 
accompanied  His  prediction  with  a  prayer,  that  when  the 
fearful  crisis  came,  his  faith  in  Him  might  not  utterly  fail.  It 
did  not.  That  look  and  prayer  caused  him  to  see  that  Christ 
had  been  to  God  and  prearranged  a  grace  for  him,  in  that  his 
hour  of  sin  and  shame.  Such  a  benediction  from  the  Lord, 
in  a  moment  of  so  much  trouble,  shame  and  sin,  caused  Peter 
to  realize  the  depth  of  the  love  of  Christ,  as  he  had  never 
known  it,  and  to  see  himself  as  his  Master  saw  him — a  sinner, 
a  fallen  and  disgraced  apostle.  It  was  more  than  his  soul  could 
endure;  he  completely  broke  down,  bowed  his  head  in 
sorrow,  covered  his  face  with  his  hands,  sobbed  the  sob  of 
true  penitence ;  and  went  out  and  wept,  and  doubtless 
sought  —  and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  obtained  —  the  forgiveness 
of  that  Lord  whom  he  so  recently,  repeatedly,  and  bitterly 
denied. 


28  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

What  an  awful  night  that  was  to  Peter  —  a  night  ever  to 
be  remembered,  but  never  to  be  forgotten ! 

In  speaking  of  Peter's  last  denial  of  his  Lord,  Dr.  Lange 
says  :  *'  At  this  moment  Jesus  was  led  past  the  group  which 
threateningly  surrounded  the  denying  disciple.  He  probably 
heard  the  last  words  of  his  imprecations.  He  turned  round 
and  looked  upon  him.  His  look  declared  how  deeply  the 
disciple  had  fallen,  how  terribly  he  had  wounded  His  heart, 
and  how  it  bled,  not  only  by  his  means,  but  also  for  his 
sake."  (Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  318.)  See  also  Keim's 
Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  62. 


BETWEEN  TRIALS. 

SECTION  VL— JESUS  MOCKED  IN 
CAIAPHAS'  PALACE. 

63  "And  the  men  that  held  Jesus  mocked 
Him  and  beat  Him. 

64  ''And    they   blindfolded    Him"    (Luke 

xxiii.) 

67  ''Then  did  they  spit  in  His  face  and 
buffet  Him  ;  and  smote  Him  with  the  palms  of 
their  hands, 

6%  "  Saying,  Prophesy  unto  us.  Thou  Christ : 
who  is  he  that  struck  Thee  ?  "  (Matt,  xxvii.) 

65  ''And  many  other  things  spake  they 
against  Him  "  (Luke  xxiii.). 

ON    SECTION    VI. 

Soon  after  Jesus  was  condemned  to  death  by  the  Sanhe- 
drists,  the  Jewish  temple  police  led  Him  into  the  fore-court  of 
Caiaphas'  palace,  where  they  guarded  Him  until  the  dawn  of 
the  morning.  See  first  diagram, p.  16.  There  is  no  evidence  that 
Jesus  was  taken  from  Caiaphas'  palace  to  a  barrack  or  station- 
house  to  be  kept  until  the  morning.  The  Sanhedrists'  strong 
29 


3b  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

desire  to  keep  the  Savior's  arrest  a  secret  from  the  multitude 
would,  of  itself,  forbid  such  a  move.  Edersheim  is  of  this 
opinion  (Vol.  II.,  pp.  564,  565).  In  speaking  of  this  mock- 
ery. Dr.  Geikie  says  :  '*  Meanwhile,  Jesus  was  left  in  charge 
■of  the  rough  temple  police,  while  the  judges  separated  for 
an  hour  or  two  of  sleep.  There  was  nothing  now  to  restrain 
the  coarse  natures  to  whom  the  condemned  prisoner  had 
been  consigned.  .  .  .  Their  passions,  indeed,  intensified 
their  bitterness,  for  they  were  fierce  Jewish  bigots.  He  was 
to  die  as  a  false  prophet,  and  as  such  they  treated  Him,  rack- 
ing their  ingenuity  to  invent  insult  and  injury.  Having 
blindfolded  Him,  some  struck  him  violently  on  the  head  with 
their  fists,  or  perhaps  with  the  vine-stick  which  the  Roman 
centurions  and  other  officials  carried  as  their  sign  of  rank, 
and  were  wont  to  use  on  the  face  or  head  of  the  soldiers  ; 
for  some  of  the  captors  of  Jesus  had  such  staves  with  them  ; 
others  struck  Him  with  their  open  hands,  while  still  others, 
adding  the  greatest  indignity  an  Oriental  could  offer,  spat  in 
His  face;  crying,  as  they  insulted  and  tortured  Him,  Pro- 
phesy to  us,  Thou  Messiah,  who  is  it  that  did  it  ?  The 
hands  they  had  bound  had  healed  the  sick,  and  raised  the 
dead ;  the  lips  they  smote  had  calmed  the  winds  and  the 
waves.  One  word,  and  the  splendors  of  the  Mount  of  Trans- 
figuration would  have  filled  the  chamber  ;  one  word,  and  the 
menials  now  sporting  with  Him  at  their  will  would  have 
perished.  But,  as  He  had  begun  and  continued,  He  would 
end — as  self-restrained  in  the  use  of  His  awful  powers  on  His 
own  behalf  as  if  He  had  been  the  most  helpless  of  men. 
Divine  patience  and  infinite  love  knew  no  wearying.  He  had 
but  to  will  it  and  walk  free,  but  He  came  to  die  for  man,  and 
He  would  do  it."  (Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  II.,  p.  526.)  See 
also  Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  320 ;  Farrar's  Life 
of  Christ,  Vol.  II.,  p.  344.  For  the  most  brutal  mockery 
endured  by  Jesus,  see  Section  XXII. 


Diagram  of  the  Council  Chamber,  Illustrative  of  the  Savior's 
Trial  before  the  Sanhedrin. 

Explanation  (For  description  of  Council  Chamber,  see  article, 
"The  Great  Sanhedrin,"  in  Historical  Index,  words,  "Place  of  Meet- 
ing.'*)— a  b.  Position  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas  in  Sanhedrin Posi- 
tions in  which  Sanhedrists  sat.  C.  Position  of  Jesus  before  Sanhedrin. 
d  d  d  d.  Jewish  temple-police  who  guarded  Jesus,  e  e.  Scribes  who 
wrote  out  the  condemnation  of  Jesus,  Arrow  heads  indicate  the 
journey  of  Jesus  from  Palace  of  Caiaphas,  to  Sanhedrin  in  Council 
Chamber,  and  from  thence  to  Pontius  Pilate. 


Copyright, 
(32) 


5,  by  Standard  Publishing  Company. 


THIRD   TRIAL. 

SECTION   V I L— JESUS   BEFORE   THE 
SANHEDRIN. 

Luke  xxii.  66-71. 

66  And  as  soon  as  it  was  day,  the  assembly 
of  the  elders  of  the  people  was  gathered  to- 
gether, both  chief  priests  and  scribes ;  and  they 
led  Him  away  into  their  council,  saying, 

6j  If  Thou  art  the  Christ,  tell  us.  But  He 
said  unto  them,  If  I  tell  you,  ye  will  not  be- 
lieve, 

68  And  if  I  ask  you,  ye  will  not  answer. 

69  But  from  henceforth  shall  the  Son  of  man 
be  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  the  power  of 
God. 

70  And  they  all  said.  Art  Thou  then  the  Son 
of  God  ?  And  He  said  unto  them,  Ye  say  that 
— I  Am. 

71  And  they  said,  What  further  need  have 
we  of  witness  ?  for  we  ourselves  have  heard 
from  His  own  mouth. 


34  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

ON    SECTION  VII. 

Luke  is  the  only  one  who  gives  a  record  of  the  illegal  pro- 
ceedings of  the  legal  meeting  of  the  Sanhedrin.  Matthew 
and  Mark  most  briefly  state  there  was  such  a  meeting.  It 
was  stated  in  Section  III.  that  the  Savior's  trial  before  the 
Sanhedrists  was  illegal  from  first  to  last.  First,  the  place  was 
illegal ;  they  should  have  met  in  their  council-chamber. 
Secondly,  the  time  ;  capital  cases  could  not  be  begun  or  con- 
cluded in  the  night.  Thirdly,  the  number  present  was 
most  probably  insufficient.  Fourth,  the  decision  had  no 
foundation  whatever,  save  in  the  hellish  hatred  of  the  San- 
hedrists. See  my  article  on  the  Sanhedrin  ;  headings,  "  Place 
of  Meeting  "  and  '*  Rules  Governing  Sanhedrin." 

The  morning  session  of  the  Sanhedrin  was  not  for  the  pur- 
pose of  a  new  and  formal  trial,  but  for  the  purpose  of  making 
legal  that  which  they  had  done  illegally.  This  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  no  new  witnesses /w  or  con  were  brought 
forth,  and  that  the  only  question  put  to  Jesus  was  the  one  on 
the  answer  to  which  He  was  condemned  by  the  Sanhedrists 
in  the  night  session.     See  Section  III. 

'♦Several  hours  after  this  night  scene,  at  the  first  dawn  of 
day,  about  six  A.  M.,  the  full  Sanhedrin,  which  had  been 
summoned  during  the  night,  held  its  sitting,  as  we  learn 
from  the  three  Gospels.  What  legitimacy  might  be  lacking 
in  the  proceedings  of  the  nocturnal  sittimg  of  the  Sanhedrin, 
was  to  be  completely  made  up  by  the  morning  sitting,  with- 
out prejudice  to  the  authority  and  the — in  the  main  point  — 
decisive  action  of  the  former.  In  many  ways  the  day  sitting 
was  necessarily  the  complement  of  the  nocturnal  court. 
According  to  the  rule,  the  sittings  of  the  Sanhedrin  were 
held  by  day,  in  the  morning,  particularly  in  cases  of  capital 
crime.  .  .  .  Further,  especially  in  cases  of  important 
questions,  they  were  to  be  held  in  the  customary  place,  not  at 


Section    VII.  35 

the  high  priest's  house,  and  with  as  nearly  the  full  number  of 
members  as  possible.  .  .  .  The  rule  was,  that  though 
the  sentence  of  acquittal  might  be  spoken  on  the  day  on 
which  the  trial  began,  the  sentence  of  condemnation  must  be 
postponed  until  the  following  day.  For  all  these  reasons, 
therefore,  the  high  priest  adjourned  the  final  decision  until 
the  morning ;  and  it  is  to  be  noticed  that  in  the  night  he  had 
prudently  refrained  from  both  a  formal  vote  and  the  formal 
sentence —  'Thou  Jesus  art  guilty  '  —  as  well  as  finally  from 
the  motion  to  refer  the  crime  to  the  Romans.  There  never- 
theless was  no  lack  of  illegality."  (Keim's  Jesus  of  Nazara, 
Vol.  VI.,  p.  63). 

The  most  important  thing  to  be  done  by  this  body,  after 
ratifying  the  decision  of  the  night  session,  was  to  so  formu- 
late the  death  sentence  as  to  obtain  from  Pilate  a  license  to 
execute  Jesus. 

The  death  sentence  was  about  as  follows  : 

Friday,  April  15,  a.  u.  c*  783. 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  condemned  to  death  by  us^ 
for  committing  blasphemy. 

Signed,       Joseph  Caiaphas,  President. 

Annas,  Father  of  the  House  of  Judgment. 

,  Scribe. 

,  Scribe. 

See  diagram,  p.  32. 

See  also  notes  on  Section  X. 

On  the  foregoing  trial,  see  Andrews'  Life  of  Our  Lord,  pp. 
508,  509 ;  Dr.  Farrar,  Vol.  II.,  p.  351 ;  Dr.  Geikie,  Vol.  II., 
P-  529. 


*See  foot-note  on  Section  XVI. 


36  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

SECTION    VIII.  —  THE  LAMENTABLE 
JUDAS. 

Matthew  xxvii.  3-10. 

3  Then  Judas,  which  betrayed  Him,  when  he 
saw  that  He  was  condemned,  repented  himself, 
and  brought  back  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  *  to 
the  chief  priests  and  elders, 

4  Saying,  I  have  sinned  in  that  I  betrayed 
innocent  blood.  But  they  said,  What  is  that  to 
us  ?  see  thou  to  it. 

5  And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver  into 
the  sanctuary,  and  departed  ;  and  he  went  away 
and  hanged  himself. 

6  And  the  chief  priests  took  the  pieces  of 
silver,  and  said,  It  is  not  lawful  to  put  them  into 
the  treasury,  since  it  is  the  price  of  blood. 

7  And  they  took  counsel,  and  bought  with 
them  the  potter's  field,  to  bury  strangers  in. 

8  Wherefore  that  field  was  called,  The  field 
of  blood,  unto  this  day. 

9  Then  was  fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken 
by  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  saying.  And  they  took 
the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of  him  that 
was  priced,  whom  certain  of  the  children  of 
Israel  did  price  ; 

*The  thirty  pieces  of  silver  amounted  to  about  $15.00  of  our  money. 
This  was  then  the  price  of  a  slave.     (Ex.  xxi.  32.) 


Section    VIII.  37 

10  And  they  gave  them  for  the  potter's  field, 
as  the  Lord  appointed  me. 

ON    SECTION    VIII.  —  TIME    AND    PLACE   OF    JUDAS* 
DEATH. 

Article  i. — **  The  former  examination  clearly  took  place 
in  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,  but  this,  as  we  may  infer 
from  verse  66,  in  the  usual  council-chamber  of  the  Sanhedrin, 
which,  according  to  the  rabbinical  writers,  was  not  in  the 
palace  of  the  high  priest,  but  in  the  temple.  This  conclave 
was  situated  parft'm  insancto,  zxid  partim  in  profano  ;  that  is,  it 
stood  upon  the  confines  of  the  priests'  court  and  of  the  men's. 
At  the  time  of  the  former  examination,  so  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, the  temple  would  be  shut  up ;  but  at  the  time  of  the 
latter,  viz.,  after  the  dawn  of  day,  it  would  be  open:  and 
there  is  reason  to  conclude  from  Matt,  xxvii.  i,  5,  that  the 
very  consultation  there  spoken  of  was  held  in  the  temple. 

♦•That  condemnation  of  our  Lord,  which  is  said  to  have 
produced  this  change  of  mind,  is  clearly  referred  by  St. 
Matthew  (xxvii.  3)  to  the  condemnation  by  the  Sanhedrin 
(xxvi.  66),  before :  it  could  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  con- 
demnation by  Pilate  ;  first,  because  no  such  condemnation 
had  yet  taken  place  ;  and  secondly,  because  that  was  not  a 
distinct  condemnation,  independent  of  this,  but  merely  the 
execution  of  the  sentence  of  the  Sanhedrin  in  consequence  of 
this. 

"  The  abduction  of  Jesus  to  Pilate  was  not  that  He  might 
be  condemned  afresh,  but  the  necessary  consequence  of  His 
being  condemned  already.  The  judgment  of  the  council  had 
pronounced  Him  worthy  of  death ;  which,  in  the  absence  of 
the  power  of  life  and  death,  was  the  utmost  they  could  do. 
But  to  give  effect  to  the  judgment,  it  was  necessary  to  resort 


38  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

to  the  civil  governor.  The  abduction  to  Pilate,  therefore^ 
might  justly  be  considered  the  sign  and  seal  of  our  Savior's 
death. 

"If  all  this  was  known  to  Judas,  that  is,  if  he  had  been 
present  during  the  course  of  proceedings  from  the  time  of 
the  seizure  of  the  person  of  Jesus,  until  now,  .  .  .  (which 
supposition  there  is  no  reason  to  call  in  question),  then,  if  his 
repentance  at  the  issue  of  his  perfidy  ever  took  place,  it 
would  most  naturally  occur  at  this  critical  moment,  when  the 
fate  of  his  Master  seemed  to  have  been  decided  upon.    .    .    . 

"  For  the  scene  was  certainly  the  temple,  and  the  temple 
was  the  regular  place  for  holding  the  assemblies  of  the 
council.     .     .     . 

*'  At  this  time,  then,  the  Sanhedrin,  or  most  of  their  body, 
would  be  in  the  temple,  ot  course ;  and  it  is  clear  that  Judas 
was  there  too,  a  spectator,  as  it  would  seem,  of  the  result : 
and  if  he  was  there  in  any  such  capacity,  our  Lord  must  have 
been  there  also.  Consequently  He  had  been  removed  from 
the  palace  of  the  high  priest  thither.  Had  not  this  been  the 
case,  the  transaction  between  Judas  and  the  council,  which 
ended  in  his  throwing  down  the  pieces  of  silver,  would  have 
taken  place  in  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,  not  in  the  tem- 
ple ;  for  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  he  made  choice  of  the 
latter  intentionally.  Our  Lord's  final  examination,  then,  and 
His  ultimate  abduction  to  Pilate,  took  place  in  and  from  the 
temple.  Nor  do  I  think  that  the  providence  of  God,  with  a 
view  to  the  preservation  of  the  typical  character  in  which  He 
was  to  suffer,  would  allow  them  to  take  place  in  and  from 
any  other  quarter."  (Edward  Greswell's  Dissertations,  Vol. 
HI.,  pp.  204,  217,  218  and  219.) 

Article   2. — "Judas    did   not   repent   in  the   Scriptural 

sense  ;  but  a  change  of  mind  and  feeling  came  over  him. 

.     .     With    the  commission  of  sin,  all  the  bewitching, 

intoxicating  influences  which  incited  to  it  have  passed  away. 


Section   VIII.  39 

and  only  the  naked  fact  remains.  All  the  glamour  has  been 
dispelled ;  all  the  reality  abideth.  If  we  knew  it,  probably 
scarcely  one  oul  of  many  criminals  but  would  give  all  he  has, 
nay,  life  itself,  if  he  could  recall  the  deed  done,  or  awake 
from  it  to  find  it  only  an  evil  dream.  But  it  can  not  be  ;  and 
the  increasingly  terrible  reality  is,  that  it  is  done,  and  done 
forever.  Yet  this  is  not  repentance,  or,  at  least,  God  alone 
knows  whether  it  is  such ;  it  may  be,  and  in  the  case  of  Judas 
it  only  was  change  of  mind  and  feeling  towards  Jesus. 
Whether  this  might  have  passed  into  repentance ;  whether,  if 
he  had  cast  himself  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  as  undoubtedly  he 
might  have  done,  this  would  have  been  so,  we  need  not  here 
ask.  .  .  .  The  road,  the  streets,  the  people's  faces — all 
seemed  now  to  bear  witness  against  him  and  for  Jesus.  He 
read  it  everywhere  ;  he  felt  it  always ;  he  imagined  it,  till  his 
whole  being  was  on  flame.  What  had  been  ;  what  was ; 
what  would  be !  Heaven  and  earth  receded  from  him ; 
there  were  voices  in  the  air,  and  pangs  in  the  soul ;  and  no 
escape,  help,  counsel  or  hope  anywhere.  It  was  despair,  and 
his  a  desperate  resolve.  He  must  get  rid  of  these  thirty 
pieces  of  silver,  which,  like  thirty  serpents,  coiled  around  his 
soul  with  terrible  hissing  of  death.  Then,  at  least,  his  deed 
would  have  nothing  of  the  selfish  in  it ;  only  a  terrible  error, 
a  mistake,  to  which  he  had  been  incited  by  these  Sanhe- 
drists.  Back  to  them  with  the  money,  and  let  them  have  it 
again !  And  so  forward  he  pressed,  amidst  the  wandering 
crowd,  which  would  give  way  before  that  haggard  face  with 
the  wild  eyes,  that  crime  had  made  old  in  those  few  hours, 
till  he  came  upon  that  knot  of  priests  and  Sanhedrists,  per- 
haps at  that  very  moment  speaking  of  it  all.  A  most  unwel- 
come sight  and  intrusion  on  them,  this  necessary  but  odious 
figure  in  the  drama  —  belonging  to  its  past,  and  who  should 
rest  in  its  obscurity.  But  he  would  be  heard;  nay,  his 
words  would  cast  the  burden  on  them,  to  share  it  with  him, 


4P  The   Trials  of  Christ, 

as  with  hoarse  cry  he  broke  into  this  :  '  I  have  sinned,  in  that 
I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood ! '  They  turned  from  him 
with  impatience,  in  contempt  (as  so  often  the  seducer  turns 
from  the  seduced — and  God  help  such!),  with  the  same  fiend- 
ish guilt  of  hell :  '  What  is  that  to  us  ?  see  thou  to  it !  '  And 
presently  they  were  again  ^deep  in  conversation  or  consulta- 
tion. For  a  moment  he  stared  wildly  before  him,  the  very 
thirty  pieces  of  silver  that  had  been  weighed  to  him,  and 
which  he  had  now  brought  back,  and  would  fain  have  given 
them,  still  clutched  in  his  hand.  For  a  moment  only,  and 
then  he  wildly  rushed  forward,  towards  the  sanctuary  itself, 
probably  to  where  the  Court  of  Israel  bounded  on  that  of 
the  priests,  where  generally  the  penitents  stood  in  waiting 
while  in  the  Priests'  Court  the  sacrifice  was  offered  for  them. 
He  bent  forward,  and  with  all  his  might  hurled  from  him 
those  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  so  that  each  resounded'as  it  fell 
on  the  marble  pavement.  Out  he  rushed  from  the  temple, 
out  of  Jerusalem,  into  solitude.  Whither  shall  it  be  ?  Down 
into  the  horrible  solitude  of  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  the 
♦  Tophet '  of  old,  with  its  ghastly  memories,  the  Gehenna  of 
the  future,  with  its  ghostly  associations.  But  it  was  not  soli- 
tude, for  it  seemed  now  peopled  with  figures,  faces,  sounds. 
Across  the  Valley,  and  up  the  steep  sides  of  the  mountain ! 
We  are  now  '  on  the  potter's  field  '  of  Jeremiah  —  somewhat 
to  the  west,  above  where  the  Kidron  and  Hinnom  Valleys 
merge.  .  .  .  Here  jagged  rocks  rise  perpendicularly: 
perhaps  there  was  some  gnarled,  bent,  stunted  tree.  Up 
there  he  climbed  to  the  top  of  that  rock.  Now  slowly  and 
deliberately  he  unwound  the  long  girdle  that  held  his  gar- 
ment. It  was  the  girdle  in  which  he  had  carried  those  thirty 
pieces  of  silver.  He  was  now  quite  calm  and  collected. 
With  that  girdle  he  will  hang  himself  on  that  tree  close  by, 
and  when  he  has  fastened  it,  he  will  throw  himself  off  from 
that  jagged  rock.     It  is  done,  but  as,  unconscious,  not  yet 


Section    VIII, 41 

dead  perhaps,  he  swung  heavily  on  that  branch,  under  the 
unwonted  burden  the  girdle  gave  way,  or  perhaps  the  knot, 
which  his  trembling  hands  had  made,  unloosed,  and  he  fell 
heavily  forward  among  the  jagged  rocks  beneath,  and  per- 
ished in  the  manner  of  which  St.  Peter  reminded  his  fellow- 
disciples  in  the  days  before  Pentecost  (Acts  i.  18,  19)." 
Edersheim,  Vol.  II.,  p,  573.) 


West 


X 

u 

c 

/ 

c 

o 

1 

V 

Praetorli 

im     OP 
d 

Judgment      Hall 
h 


r  \tk 

s 

e 

\l 

^ 

V 

4 

o 

b\>    cc 

3 

O 

Pavement 

Audience 


East 
DiAGKAU  or  Hbrod's  Palace,  Illustrative  or  Jesos'  First  Trial 
Before  Pontius  Pilate. 

Copyright,  i886,  by  Standard  Publishing  Company. 
(42) 


Diagram  ok  Herod's  Paiacb. 
(Herod's  Palace,  see  History  of,  in  Historical  Appftndix.) 

Explanation. — H  Pilate's  judgment-seat,  a  a  a.  Sanhedrin  send 
Jesus  into  Judgment  Hall  to  Pilate,  b  b  b.  Pilate  takes  Jesus  out  on 
to  the  Pavement,  and  asks  for  the  charges  against  Him.  c  c.  Position 
of  Jesus  and  Pilate,  d  d.  Pilate  takes  Jesus  into  Judgment  Hall,  and 
questions  Him  on  His  Kingship,  e  e.  Pilate  takes  Jesus  out  on  to  the 
Pavement,  and  pronounces  Him  innocent,  b  b  Position  of  Pilate  and 
Jesus.    ^ i  g.  Pilate  sends  Jesus  to  Herod  Antipas. 

(43) 


BETWEEN   TRIALS. 

SECTION  IX.— LEADING  JESUS   TO 
PILATE. 

I  **And  straightway  in  the  morning  the 
chief  priests  held  a  consultation  with  the  elders 
and  scribes  and  the  whole  council,  and  bound 
Jesus,  and  carried  Him  away,  and  delivered  Him 
to  Pilate  "  (Mark  xv.). 

I  **  And  the  whole  multitude  of  them  arose 
and  led  Him  unto  Pilate"  (Luke  xxiii.,  A.V.). 

28  **  Then  led  they  Jesus  from  Caiaphas  unto 
the  hall  of  judgment :  and  it  was  early ;  and 
they  themselves  went  not  into  the  judgment 
hall,  lest  they  should  be  defiled ;  but  that  they 
might  eat  the  passover  "  (John  xviii.,  A.  V.). 

ON    SECTION    IX. 

Matthew  and  Mark  tell  us  nothing  of  the  questions  put  to 
Jesus  by  the  Sanhedrin  (Section  VIL),  but  mention  the  bind- 
ing and  leading  of  Him  from  their  council-chamber  to  Pilate. 
John,  having  omitted  the  trial  before  the  Sanhedrin,  neces- 
sarily speaks  of  the  leading  to  Pilate  as  though  it  occurred 


Section  IX.  45 

immediately  after  the  trial  before  Caiaphas  and  the  Sanhe- 
drists  (See  Sections  III.,  VII.)  Jesus  was  bound,  and  stood 
during  the  trial  before  Annas,  and  also  during  the  entire  trial 
before  the  Sanhedrists.  See  Sections  I.,  III.  After  this  trial, 
and  during  the  mockery  in  the  fore-court,  in  the  palace  of 
Caiaphas,  Jesus  seems  to  have  been  unbound,  and  to  have 
remained  so  until  the  close  of  the  trial  before  the  Sanhedrin. 
See  Sections  VL, IX.,  and  the  first  diagram,  p.  i6.  The  leading 
of  Jesus  from  the  palace  of  Caiaphas  to  the  council-chamber, 
and  the  trial  there,  had  caused  a  multitude  of  people  to  be 
gathered  together,  all  of  whom,  together  with  the  chief  priests, 
scribes,  and  elders,  headed  by  Caiaphas,  led  Jesus  to  Pontius 
Pilate.  Greswell  thinks  this  was  soon  after  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  (Vol.  III.,  p.  228).  '*  The  decision  of  the  Jewish 
authorities  having  been  duly  signed  and  sealed,  and  Jesus 
once  more  securely  bound.  He  was  led  off,  strongly  guarded 
from  rescue,  to  the  official  residence  of  Pilate,  on  Mount  Zion. 
It  was  still  early,  but  Eastern  life  anticipates  the  day,  for  the 
heat  of  noon  requires  rest  during  the  hours  busiest  with  us. 
The  way  ran  from  the  West  Hall  of  the  Temple  oyer  the 
Tyropseon  by  a  bridge,  and  across  the  open  space  of  the 
Xystus,  with  its  pillared  porches.  The  palace  of  Herod,  now 
Pilate's  headquarters,  lay  just  beyond  —  the  proud  residence 
of  the  Roman  knight  who  held  the  government  for  the 
Emperor  Tiberias.  .  .  .  Now,  for  the  first  time,  Jesus 
entered  the  gates  of  a  king's  palace ;  the  home  of  '  men  in 
soft  raiment '  —  entered  it  as  a  prisoner."     (Dr.  Geikie,  Vol. 

n.,  p.  53I-) 

Dr.  Farrar,  in  speaking  of  Jesus  being  led  to  Pilate,  says  : 
**  At  Jerusalem  he  occupied  one  of  the  two  gorgeous  palaces 
which  had  been  erected  there  by  the  lavish  architectural 
extravagance  of  the  first  Herod,  It  was  situated  in  the 
Upper  City  to  south-west  of  the  Temple  Hill,  ^nd,  like  the 
similar  building  at  Csesarea,  having  passed  from  the  use  of 


46  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

the  provincial  king  to  that  of  the  Roman  governor,  was 
■called  Herod's  Prsetorium."  (Vol.  II.,  p.  364.)  See  Acts 
xxiii.  35.  See  diagram  facing  Section  X.  See  also  Histori- 
•cal  Appendix,  \fords,  **  Herod's  Palace." 


FOURTH  TRIAL. 
SECTION X,— JESUS  BEFORE  PILATE. 

29  Pilate  then  went  out  unto  them,  and  said, 
What  accusation  bring  ye  against  this  man  ? 

30  They  answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  He 
were  not  a  malefactor,  we  would  not  have  de- 
livered Him  up  unto  thee. 

31  Then  said  Pilate  unto  them,  Take  ye 
Him,  and  judge  Him  according  to  your  law. 
The  Jews  therefore  said  unto  him,  It  is  not 
lawful  for  us  to  put  any  man  to  death  : 

32  That  the  saying  of  Jesus  might  be  ful- 
filled, which  He  spake,  signifying  what  death 
He  should  die.     (John  xviii.,  A.  V.) 

ON    SECTION   X. 

Jesus  was  led,  with  a  rope  round  His  neck  and  with  His 
liands  tied  behind  Him,  from  the  council-chamber  in  the 
Temple  to  the  palace  of  Herod.  When  Caiaphas  and  his 
clique  arrived,  he  sent  Jesus,  by  the  hands  of  the  Jewish 
police,  into  the  judgment  hall  to  Pilate,  whilst  they  remained 


West 


Fraetorlum     op 
d 


Judgment      Hall 


, 

.    \t  I 

r 

e 

^^ 

N 

{ 

1 

\ 

b 

4 

\    cc 

s 

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■a 

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Pavement 

/ 

Audience 


East 
Diagram  of  Herod's  Palace,  Illustrative  of  Jesus'  First  Trial 
Before  Pontius  Pilate. 

Copyright,  1886,  by  Standard  Publishing  Company. 
(48) 


Diagram  op  Herod's  Palacei 
(Herod's  Palace,  see  History  of,  in  Historical  Appendix.) 

Explanation. — ■  Pilate's  judgment-seat,  a  a  a.  Sanhedrin  send 
Jesus  into  Judgment  Hall  to  Pilate,  b  b  b.  Pilate  takes  Jesus  out  on 
to  the  Pavement,  and  asks  for  the  charges  against  Him.  c  c.  Position 
of  Jesus  and  Pilate,  d  d.  Pilate  takes  Jesus  into  Judgment  Hall,  and 
questions  Him  on  His  Kingship,  e  e.  Pilate  takes  Jesus  out  on  to  the 
Pavement,  and  pronounces  Him  innocent,  b  b  Position  of  Pilate  and 
Jesus,    s  i  S'  Pilate  sends  Jesus  to  Herod  Antipas, 

(49) 


50  Tlie   Trials  of  Christ, 

without,  lest  their  devilish  natures  should  be  defiled  by  enter- 
ing the  palace  of  a  heathen  governor.  In  Pontius  Pilate, 
three  things  were  greatly  in  Jesus'  favor.  First,  he  had  no 
theological  bias  against  His  teaching.  Secondly,  he  believed 
Him  to  be  innocent  as  to  political  matters.  Thirdly,  he 
hated  the  Jews,  and  was  inclined  to  do  whatever  would 
displease  them.  Therefore,  Jesus'  trial  before  Pilate  had,  on 
the  part  of  the  Roman  governor,  a  favorable  beginning. 
Pilate's  fkst  act  was  to  take  the  bound  Christ  out  on  to  the 
pavement,  and  ask  for  the  charges  against  Him.  This  shows 
he  intended  the  Prisoner  to  have  a  legal  trial.  Caiaphas  did 
not  present  the  charges,  nor  make  their  contents  known ; 
for  he  well  knew  that  Pilate  knew  but  little,  and  cared 
less,  whether  Jesus  had  or  had  not  blasphemed.  He  also 
knew  that  a  religious  question  did  not  properly  belong  before 
a  political  governor.  For  these  reasons,  he  shrewdly  kept 
the  real  charges  in  the  background,  put  on  a  bold  front,  and 
demanded  the  governor  to  crucify  Jesus  on  the  bare  state- 
ment of  the  Sanhedrists  that  He  was  an  "  evil-doer  "  (R.  V.). 
Pilate's  knowledge  of  the  difficulty  between  Jesus  and  the 
Sanhedrists,  and  the  presence  of  so  many  of  them  on  the 
pavement  with  gaping  mouths,  convinced  him  that  the  real 
charge  against  the  Savior  was  a  religious  one,  and  there- 
fore said  to  them,  *'  I  apprehend  the  charge  against  this  Man 
to  be  an  ecclesiastical  one,  not  political,  and  belongs  before 
the  Sanhedrin,  not  before  me.  Therefore,  take  Him,  and 
judge  Him  according  to  the  laws  of  that  body,  and  if  He  has 
sinned  against  it,  excommunicate  Him.  This  was  the  golden 
opportunity  for  Caiaphas  to  have  informed  Pilate  that  they  had 
already  tried  and  condemned  Jesus,  and  to  have  presented  the 
charges,  which  he  doubtless  had  sealed  and  in  his  pocket. 
He  would  not  do  this,  for  he  knew  that  if  Pilate  read  the 
charges,  he  would  see  the  case  to  be  an  ecclesiastical  squab- 
ble, and  would  dismiss  the  case  at  once ;  for  it  was  perfectly 


Section  XL  5 1 

understood  that  the  heathen  governor  would  punish  no  one 
to  gratify  the  religious  fanaticism  of  the  Jews.  See  Dr.  Geikie, 
Vol.  II.,  p.  535.  Dr.  Farrar,  Vol.  II.,  p.  367.  Lange's 
X-ife  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  339.  Keim's  Jesus  of  Nazara, 
Vol.  VI.,  pp.  83-88.  Andrews'  Life  of  Our  Lord,  p.  516. 
Caiaphas  saw  distinctly  that,  in  order  to  obtain  a  hearing 
before  Pilate,  he  must  bring  a  charge  against  Jesus  of  a  polit- 
ical nature.  Therefore  he  dropped  the  original  charge,  and 
trumped  up  a  charge  of  treason  against  Him.  See  notes  on 
Section  XL 


SECTION  XL— JESUS   CHARGED 
WITH  TREASON. 

And  they  began  to  accuse  Him,  saying,  We 
found  this  Man  perverting  our  nation,  and  for- 
bidding to  give  tribute  to  Caesar,  and  saying 
that  He  Himself  is  Christ  a  King  (Luke  xxiii.  2). 

ON    SECTION    XI. 

Caiaphas'  charge  of  treason  against  Jesus  touched  Pilate 
officially,  and  compelled  him  to  investigate  the  case.  Dr. 
Lange  says  concerning  this  charge,  "  It  addressed  itself  to 
the  charges  of  conspiracy,  sedition,  and  high  treason." 


52  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

SECTION   XIL— JESUS    QUESTIONED 
BY  PILATE. 

33  Then  Pilate  entered  into  the  judgment 
hall  again,  and  called  Jesus,  and  said  unto  Him, 
Art  Thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  ? 

34  Jesus  answered  Him,  Sayest  thou  this 
thing  of  thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  of  Me  ? 

35  Pilate  answered,  Am  I  a  Jew?  Thine 
own  nation  and  the  chief  priests  have  delivered 
Thee  unto  me :   w^hat  hast  Thou  done  ? 

36  Jesus  answered.  My  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world :  if  My  kingdom  were  of  this  world, 
then  would  My  servants  fight,  that  I  should  not 
be  delivered  to  the  Jews :  but  now  is  My  king- 
dom not  from  hence. 

37  Pilate  therefore  said  unto  Him,  Art  Thou 
a  King,  then  ?  Jesus  answered.  Thou  sayest 
that  I  am  a  King.  To  this  end  was  I  born,  and 
for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I 
should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one 
that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  My  voice. 

38  Pilate  said  unto  Him,  What  is  truth? 
(John  xviii.,  A.  V.) 

ON    SECTION    XII. 

(See  diagram  facing  Section  X.) 

**  Pilate  now  set  about  the  judicial  examination  of  Jesus. 


Section  XI I.  53 

He  withdrew  into  the  interior  of  the  prsetorium,  and  had 
Jesus  summoned  thither.  We  observe  in  the  sequel,  that  the 
Roman  judge  alternately  occupies  a  threefold  position.  When 
he  speaks  to  the  Jews  about  the  proceedings,  he  is  standing 
without  on  the  square,  in  front  of  the  palace,  among  them. 
When  he  undertakes  the  judicial  hearing,  he  withdraws  with 
the  accused,  and  with  the  witnesses  who  take  part  in  the 
proceeding,  into  the  judgment-hall,  carefully,  no  doubt,  at- 
tended by  some  representatives  of  the  complainants.  But 
when  he  declares  the  judicial  sentence,  he  mounts  the  judg- 
ment-seat, which  is  erected  on  a  consecrated  foundation  on 
the  elevated  stone  platform."  (Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol. 
IV.,  p.  341.) 

In  a  foot-note  he  says:  **  Pilate  could  not  have  with- 
-drawn  into  the  praetorium  with  the  accused  in  order  to  hear 
Him  in  secret,  for  Roman  judgments  must  be  held  publicly. 
{Friedlieb,  104.)  He  withdrew,  it  is  probable,  that  the  trial 
might  be  proceeded  with  undisturbed.  Therein  the  com- 
plainants were  represented  by  individuals  who  determined  to 
renounce  the  keeping  of  the  Passover,  with  the  purpose  of 
•celebrating  the  smaller  Passover  subsequently.  Such  a  par- 
ticipation in  the  trial,  moreover,  according  to  the  principle  of 
publicity,  was  free  also  to  the  dependents  of  Jesus ;  and 
among  them  some  might  determine  to  be  present  at  the  trial, 
at  the  cost  of  the  keeping  of  the  Passover,  more  easily  than 
most  of  the  Jews.  Thus  the  question  of  Strauss  is  an- 
swered. Whence  had  the  Evangelists  knowledge  of  the  trial 
going  on  in  the  inside  of  the   Praetorium  ?  " 

Pilate  began  the  examination  by  saying  to  Jesus,  "Art 
Thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?"  To  have  answered  yes, 
■would  have  been  to  acknowledge  the  charge  of  treason.  To 
iiave  answered  no,  would  have  been  to  deny  His  spiritual 
kingship.  Jesus  asked  Pilate  if  the  question  was  born  of  his 
own  mouth,  or  of  the  mouths  of  the  Jews ;    to  which  he 


54  1^^^   Trials  of  Christ, 

indignantly  replies  :  "I  am  no  Jew.  Thine  own  nation  and 
the  chief  priests  have  delivered  Thee  unto  me  :  what  hast 
thou  done  ?  "  Jesus  answered  :  "  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this, 
world,"  it  is  not  a  fighting  kingdom.  Pilate  begins  to  see  that 
Jesus'  definition  of  the  word  **  king  "  and  the  Jews'  defini- 
tion are  world-wide  different ;  and  he  wonders  whether  Jesus 
can  be  a  king,  and  says  :  "  Art  Thou  a  King,  then  ?  "  Jesus 
in  substance  said:  "I  am  the  spiritual  King  of  a  kingdom, 
that  is  not  of  this  world." 

Pilate  concluded  that  if  His  kingdom  was  not  a  fighting 
one,  and  not  of,  and  perhaps  not  in,  this  world,  he  could  do 
the  Roman  government  no  harm.  Therefore,  he  took  Jesus^ 
went  out  on  the  pavement,  and  pronounced  Him  innocent. 
See  Section  XHI.  See  Farrar,  Vol.  II.,  p.  369;  Lange's- 
Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  342;  Keim's  Jesus  of  Nazara, 
Vol.  VI.,  p.  88;  Geike,  Vol.  II.,  p.  537. 


SECTION   XIIL— JESUS    ACQUITTED- 
BY  PILATE. 

38  "And  when  he  had  said  this  he  went 
out  again  unto  the  Jews,  and  saith  unto  them, 
I  FIND  IN  Him  no  fault  at  all  "  (John  xviii.,. 
A.  V.) 


Section  XV.  55 

SECTION  XIV.  —JESUS  ACCUSED    OF 
MANY  THINGS. 

3  And  the  chief  priests  accused  Him  of 
many  things. 

4  And  Pilate  again  asked  Him,  saying,  An- 
swerestThou  nothing?  behold  how  many  things 
they  accuse  Thee  of. 

5  But  Jesus  no  more  answered  anything ; 
insomuch  that  Pilate  marveled  (Mark  xv.). 


SECTION   XV.— JESUS  ACCUSED    OF 
DISTURBING    THE  PUBLIC  PEACE. 

5  And  they  were  the  more  fierce,  saying, 
He  stirreth  up  the  people,  teaching  throughout 
all  Jewry,  beginning  from  Galilee  to  this  place 
(Luke  xxiii.,  A.  V.) 

ON    SECTIONS   XIII.,   XIV.,   XV. 

As  soon  as  Pilate  had  pronounced  Jesus  innocent,  there 
came  a  storm  of  accusations  from  the  chief  priests,  to  all  of 
which  He  answered  nothing.  This  caused  Pilate  to  marvel, 
and  doubtless  the  chief  priests  marveled  also.     They  were 


56  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

now  without  any  charge  against  Jesus ;  for  Pilate  had  de- 
cided that  the  charge  of  conspiracy  against  the  Roman 
government  and  against  Csesar  was  without  grounds.  Next 
they  accuse  Jesus  of  disturbing  the  public  peace,  all  the  way 
from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem.  As  soon  as  Pilate  heard  them 
speak  of  Galilee,  the  thought  struck  him  that  he  might  get 
rid  of  further  trouble  in  the  already  troublesome  case,  by 
sending  Jesus  to  Herod  Antipas,  the  Governor  of  Galilee, 
who  was  at  Jerusalem  at  that  time,  and  residing  in  the 
Asmonean  palace,  which  lay  between  his  praetorium  and  the 
temple.     See  notes  on  Section  XVI. 


FIFTH    TRIAL. 

SECTION  XVL— JESUS  BEFORE 
HEROD   ANTIPAS. 

6  When  Pilate  heard  of  Galilee,  he  asked 
whether  the  Man  were  a  Galilean. 

7  And  as  soon  as  he  knew  that  He  belonged 
unto  Herod's  jurisdiction,  he  sent  Him  to 
Herod,  who  himself  also  was  at  Jerusalem  at 
that  time. 

8  And  when  Herod  saw  Jesus,  he  was  ex- 
ceeding glad:  for  he  was  desirous  to  see  Him 
of  a  long  season,  because  he  had  heard  many- 
things  of  Him  ;  and  he  hoped  to  have  seen 
some  miracle  done  by  Him. 

9  Then  he  questioned  with  Him  in  many 
words  :  but  He  answered  him  nothing. 

10  And  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  stood 
and  vehemently  accused  Him. 

JESUS    MOCKED    BY    HEROD's   SOLDIERS. 

1 1  And  Herod  with  his  men  of  war  set  Him 


58  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

at  naught,  and  mocked  Him,  and  arrayed  Him 
in  a  gorgeous  *  robe,  and  sent  Him  again  to 
Pilate. 

12  And  the  same  day  Pilate  and  Herod  were 
made  friends  together  :  for  before  they  were  at 
enmity  between  themselves  (Luke  xxiii.,  A.  V.). 


ON    SECTION    XVI. 

**Antipas  had  come  from  Tiberias,  to  show  how  devoutly 
he  honored  the  Law,  and  had  taken  his  residence  in  the  old 
castle  of  the  Asmoneans,  which  still  remained  in  the  hands 
of  his  family.  It  was  near  the  Xystus,  and  exactly  opposite 
the  Temple,  to  which  he  could  cross  by  the  upper  bridge, 
over  the  Tyropsean  Valley,  between  Zion  and  Moriah."  In 
another  place  he  says  :  "The  old  palace  of  the  Asmoneans, 
in  which  Antipas  lodged,  was  a  short  way  from  Pilate's 
splendid  official  residence.  It  lay  a  few  streets  off  to  the 
north-east,  within  the  same  old  city  wall,  on  the  slope  of 
Zion,  the  leveled  crest  of  which  was  occupied  by  the  vast 
palace  of  Herod,  now  the  Roman  headquarters.  Both  were 
in  the  old,  or  upper,  city,  and  through  the  narrow  streets  — 
with  raised  pathways,  and  middle  sunk  to  prevent  defilement 
to  passers-by — Jesus  was  now  led,  under  escort  of  a  detach- 
ment of  the  Roman  troops  on  duty."     (Dr.  Geikie,  Vol.  II., 


*  Having,  therefore,  put  a  white  robe  —  the  Jewish  royal  color  —  on 
Jesus,  as  if  to  show  that  he  had  no  fear  of  such  a  King,  he  sent  Him 
back  to  Pilate,  Geikie  (Friedlieb,  109)  says  that  it  seems  very  doubtful 
whether  this  was  the  white  robe  of  the  candidatus,  and  prefers  to  con^ 
sider  it  a  gorgeous  robe,  designed  to  express  Herod's  contempt  for  the 
pretensions  of  this  King.  Quoted  by  Lange,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  349.  See 
Keim's  Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  103. 


Section  XV I.  $9 

pp.  500  and  540.)     Dr.  Farrar,  Vol.  II.,  p.  372.     See  article 
on  Herod  Antipas. 

Pilate's  main  object  in  sending  Jesus  to  Herod  Antipas,  was 
to  rid  himself  of  further  trying  the  Savior ;  for  he  saw  that  the 
chief  priests,  scribes  and  elders  thirsted  for  His  blood. 
Antipas  was  "exceedingly  glad"  to  see  Jesus  ;  that  is  to  say, 
exceedingly  glad  to  see  Him  bound ;  for  he  had  had  fears 
because  of  Him  —  fears  that  He,  like  John,  might  face  to 
face  condemn  Him  for  his  adultery  (Luke  iii.  19  and  Matt, 
xiv.  4).  This  is  doubtless  the  reason  Antipas  did  not  attend 
the  Savior's  ministry.  He  knew  his  guilty  conscience  could 
not  stand  up  before  the  purity  of  His  teaching.  Herod's 
fear  of  being  exposed  was  doubtless  the  cause  of  his  threat- 
ening to  kill  Jesus  (Luke  xiii.  31).  But  when  he  saw  Him 
bound  hard  and  fast,  and  guarded  by  Roman  soldiers,  his 
fears  took  wings  and  flew  away.  If  there  was  one  official  in 
Palestine  whom  Jesus  hated  (if  I  may  use  the  word),  that 
man  was  the  Galilean  prince,  Herod  Antipas.  He  is  the 
only  one  whom  the  Savior  nicknamed,  and  He  rightly  called 
him  ''that  fox"  (Luke  xiii.  32).  Herod  Antipas— the  very 
name  breathes  corruption  and  cruelty  ;  Herod  Antipas,  the 
man  who  imprisoned  and  beheaded  Jesus'  forerunner ;  Herod 
Antipas,  the  double-dyed  adulterer,  threatener  of  the  Son  of 
God ;  —  could  Jesus  perform  a  miracle  for,  or  even  answer, 
such  a  wretch  as  he?  Nay,  verily,  '«  as  a  sheep  before  her 
shearer  is  dumb,  so  He  openeth  not  His  mouth  "  (Isa  liii.  7). 

The  chief  priests  and  scribes,  who  had  followed  Jesus 
from  Pilate's  prsetorium,  then  stood  and  vehemently  accused 
Him,  to  all,  and  in  spite  of  all  which,  he  preserved  a  perfect 
yet  awful  silence  —  a  silence  Herod  was  fain  to  break,  by 
the  mockery  of  his  soldiers,  and  by  putting  on  Jesus  a  gor^ 
geous  robe.  This  was  the  second  mockery  Jesus  endured ; 
see  Section  VI. 


Diagram    of  Herod's  Palace,   Illustrative  of   Jesus'   Second 
Trial  before  Pilate. 


Copyright, 
(60) 


by  Standard  Publishing  Company. 


Diagram  op  Herod's  Palace. 

Explanation. — a  a  a.  Herod  Antipas  returns  Jesus  to  Pilate  (Sec* 
tion  17).  b  b  b.  Pilate  takes  Jesus  out  on  to  the  Pavement,  and  seeks 
to  release  Him  (Sections  17  and  18).  c.  Pilate  sits  down  on  the  judg- 
ment seat,  and  receives  a  warning  message  from  his  wife  (Section  19). 
d.  Pilate  rises  from  the  judgment  seat,  and  washes  his  hands  (Section 
19),  e.  Pilate  sits  down  on  the  judgment  seat,  and  consents  to  Jesus' 
death  (Section  20).  f  f.  Pilate  takes  Jesus,  and  has  his  soldiers 
scourge  Him  (Section  21).  g g  g-  Jesus  is  taken  into  the  Pretorium 
Hall,  mocked,  crowned  with  thorns,  and  spit  upon  (Section  22).  h  h  h, 
Pilate  returns  into  the  palace,  and  writes  the  inscription  for  Jesus* 
cross  (Section  23).    See  next  diagram,  Sec.  24. 

(61) 


SIXTH   TRIAL. 

SECTION  XVIL— JESUS   BEFORE 
PILATE. 

13  And  Pilate  called  together  the  chief  priests 
and  the  rulers  and  the  people, 

14  And  said  unto  them,  Ye  brought  unto 
me  this  Man,  as  one  that  perverteth  the  people : 
and  behold,  I,  having  examined  Him  before 
you,  found  no  fault  in  this  Man  touching  those 
things  whereof  ye  accuse  Him  : 

15  No,  nor  yet  Herod:  for  he  sent  Him 
back  unto  us  :  and  behold,  nothing  worthy  of 

DEATH  HATH  BEEN  DONE  BY  HiM. 

16  I  will  therefore  chastise  Him,  and  release 
Him  (Luke  xxiii.). 

ON    SECTION    XVIL 

When  Herod  Antipas  saw  Jesus  would  answer  no  ques- 
tions, and  perform  no  miracle  to  please  His  gaping  curiosity, 
he  put  himself  in  the  attitude  of  a  rowdy,  and  wreaked 
his  vengeance  on  Jesus  by  joining  his  body-guard  in  mock- 
ing Him.  When  he  became  tired  of  his  deviltry,  he 
62 


Section  XVI L  63 

resolved  to  return  Jesus  to  Pilate,  and  wrote  and  sent  the 
following  by  the  hands  of  those  who  had  brought  the  Lord 
to  Him : 

AsMONEAN  Palace,  Jerusalem,         ) 
Friday,  April  15,  a.  u.  c*  783.  / 

Honorable  Pontius  Pilate :  —  I  have  examined  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, according  to  your  request,  and  find  no  cause  of  death 
in  Him.  Herod  Antipas, 

Governor  of  Galilee. 

It  is  evident  that  Herod  did  not  send  his  message  to  Pilate 
by  word  of  mouth ;  neither  did  the  latter  send  His  message 
to  the  former  in  that  way.  Doubtless  Herod  accompanied 
the  surging,  hooting  company,  as  it  returned  to  Pilate's  judg- 
ment-hall with  Jesus.  Herod  would  naturally  remain  outside 
the  palace  until  Pilate  sent  for  Him  to  come  in  and  confer 
with  Him.  I  take  this  to  be  the  time  and  place  the  two  govern- 
ors became  friendly.  Great  emergencies  and  great  calamities 
often  bury  personal  difficulties.  It  was  so  on  this  tremendous 
occasion :  all  parties  buried  their  differences  in  order  to  ac- 
complish the  death  of  Jesus.  **  It  was  the  day  of  the  union 
of  all  evil  men,  of  all  wicked  men.  of  all  sinners,  against  the 
Lord"  (Lange,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  349).  In  all  that  vast  multitude 
that  attended  the  last  two  trials,  there  was  but  one  man  who 


*It  is  certain  that  Herod  dated  his  communication  from  the  founding 
of  Rome;  for  the  practice  of  numbering  the  years  from  the  birth  of 
Christ  was  not  adopted  for  five  hundred  years  after  that  event.  Jesus 
was  born  four  years  earlier  than  the  time  from  which  we  date — or  b.  c. 
4 — which  would  correspond  to  the  750th  year  of  Rome.  Granting  Jesus 
to  be  thirty-three  years  old  when  He  died,  Herod's  note  to  Pilate 
would  be  dated  as  above,  a.  u.  c.  783. 

On  the  date  of  Christ's  birth  and  death,  see  Andrews'  Life  of  Our 
Lord;  Wieseler's  Chronological  Synopsis  of  the  Gospels,  p.  126;  Gres- 
well.  Vol.  I.,  pp.  381,  446  ;  Keim's  Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol.  IL,  pp.  101-131. 
Andrews  is  very  full  on  this  point ;  and  Keim  I  regard  as  incorrect. 


64  -/  he   Trials  of  Christ. 

had  the  moral  courage  to  lift  up  his  voice  in  behalf  of  the 
bound  and  derided  Christ,  and  that  man  was  Pontius  Pilate. 
Herod's  decision  and  presence  greatly  strengthened  him  in 
his  purpose  to  release  Jesus.  Accordingly,  he  took  the  Gali- 
lean prince  and  Jesus  out  on  to  the  pavement,  and  called  the 
chief  priests  and  rulers  of  the  people  to  him,  and  declared  to 
them  that  in  his  judgment,  and  in  the  judgment  of  Governor 
Herod  (pointing  to  him),  Jesus  had  done  nothing  worthy  of 
death,  and  that  he  intended  to  chastise  Him  a  little  and  set 
Him  free.  This  was  met  by  a  storm  of  opposition,  and  Pilate 
saw  that  to  release  Jesus  at  once  would  in  all  probability 
result  in  a  riot  that  could  only  be  quelled  by  the  shedding  of 
much  blood  and  by  the  loss  of  many  lives.  It  tasked  his 
ingenuity  to  the  utmost,  to  know  how  to  prevent  a  riot  and 
to  tame  down  the  wrath  of  the  surging  multitude,  so  that  He 
dared  to  release  Jesus.  It  was  about  this  time  he  bethought 
himself  of  a  custom  he  had  of  releasing  a  prisoner  to  the 
people  at  each  passover,  whomsoever  they  desired.  See 
notes  on  Section  XVIII. 


SECTION  XVIIL—BARABBAS    OR 
JESUS. 

39  <  .  .  **Ye  have  a  custom  that  I 
should  release  unto  you  one  at  the  passover  " 
(John  xviii.). 

17  "(For  of  necessity  he  must  release  one 
unto  them  at  the  feast)"  (Luke  xxiii.,  A.  V.). 


Section  XVIII.  65 

8  **  And  the  multitude  went  up  and  began  to 
ask  him  to  do  as  he  was  wont  to  do  unto  them  " 
(Mark  xv.). 

16  **  And  they  had  then  a  notable  prisoner 
called  Barabbas  "  (Matt,  xxvii.)  ; 

7  ''Lying  bound  with  them  that  had  made 
insurrection,  men  who  in  the  insurrection  had 
committed  murder  "  (Mark  xv.). 

I^IRST   EFFORT. 

17  *'  When  therefore  they  were  gathered 
together,  Pilate  said  unto  them.  Whom  will  ye 
that  I  release  unto  you  ?  Barabbas,  or  Jesus 
which  is  called  Christ?  "  (Matt,  xxvii.) 

10  ''For  he  perceived  that  for  envy  the 
chief  priests  had  delivered  Him  up  "  (Markxv.). 

20  "Now  the  chief  priests  and  the  elders 
persuaded  the  multitudes  that  they  should  ask 
for  Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus  "  (Matt,  xxvii.). 

18  "  And  they  cried  out  all  at  once,  saying. 
Away  with  this  Man,  and  release  unto  us  Ba- 
rabbas "  (Luke  xxiii.,  A.  V.). 

SECOND    EFFORT. 

20  ' '  And  Pilate  spake  unto  them  again,  de- 
siring to  release  Jesus  "  (Luke  xxiii.)  : 


66  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

9  * '  Will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  the 
King  of  the  Jews  ?  "  (Mark  xv.). 

40  "Not  this  man,  but  Barabbas  "(John 
xviii.). 

21  "  But  they  shouted,  saying,  Crucify, 
crucify  Him  "  (Luke  xxiii.). 

22  ''  Pilate  saith  unto  them,  What  shall  I  do 
then  with  Jesus  which  is  called  Christ  ?  They 
all  say  unto  him,  Let  Him  be  crucified  "  (Matt, 
xxvii.). 

THIRD    EFFORT. 

22  **  And  he  said  unto  them  the  third  time, 
Why,  what  evil  hath  He  done  ?  I  have  found 
NO  CAUSE  OF  DEATH  IN  HiM  :  I  wiU  therefore  chas- 
tise Him  and  release  Him  "  (Luke  xxiii.). 

14  ''But  they  cried  out  exceedingly,  Crucify 
Him"  (Mark  xv.). 

ON    SECTION   XVIII. 

"When  Pilate  took  Jesus  out  on  the  pavement,  and  reminded 
the  people  that  it  was  his  custom  to  release  a  prisoner  at 
each  passover  (whomsoever  they  would),  the  tumultuous 
throng  rushed  around  the  pavement  and  besought  him  to 
release  a  prisoner.  But  before  taking  further  steps,  Pilate 
called  the  Sanhedrists  to  come  forward  on  the  pavement ;  for 
they  had  stationed  themselves  among  the  multitudes  for  the 
purpose  of  creating  a  riot,  in  case  the  governor  should  release 
Jesus,  as  they  had  good  cause  to  believe  he  would.  In 
speaking  of  this,   Dr.  Lange   says:    "Pilate  waited  till  the 


Section  XVI I  I.  67 

tumult  subsided  [Matt,  xxvii.  17],  till  he  saw  the  parties  of 
the  accused  and  the  accuser  again  opposed  before  him.  This 
would  take  some  time,  for  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrin 
had  mingled  themselves  among  the  crowds  of  people  m  order 
to  stir  them  up,  and  to  instruct  them  in  case  the  judge  should 
declare  that  Jesus  should  be  set  free."  (Vol.  IV.,  p.  350.) 
Therefore,  Pilate's  every  effort  to  release  Jesus  was  attended 
with  a  stern  probability  that  it  would  be  followed  by  a  riot 
and  bloodshed.  In  the  proposition  to  release  a  prisoner, 
Pilate  recognized  the  right  of  the  people  to  choose  who 
should  be  released.  In  doing  this,  he  manifested  honesty ; 
for  established  custom  is  unwritten  law.  If  it  had  been  left 
for  Pilate  to  choose  the  one  to  be  released,  we  know  whom 
he  would  have  chosen — "  the  King  of  the  Jews."  But 
because  he  did  not  have  that  right,  he  put  the  question, 
*'  Whom  will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  ?  Barabbas,  or  Jesus 
which  IS  called  Christ?"  There  were  three  powerful  reasons 
why  the  Jews  preferred  Barabbas  to  Jesus;  first,  because  he 
was  the  son  of  a  Rabbi ;  secondly,  because  he  was  a  zealot  for 
the  temple;  and  thirdly,  because  Jesus  was,  as  they  thought, 
the  enemy  of  the  temple  and  of  the  priesthood.  Therefore, 
when  Pliate  asked  them  whom  they  would  have  released, 
their  answer  was  ready,  *'  Away  with  this  Man,  and  release 
unto  us  Barabbas."  Yea,  it  seems  that  some  of  them  broke 
forth  with  cries  for  Barabbas  before  the  question  was  put. 
See  Mark  xv.  8.  Yea,  the  word  "  Barabbas "  had  been 
given  them  as  their  unchangeable  watchword.  When  Pilate 
put  the  question  to  them  the  second  time,  he  clearly  indi- 
cated his  choice  by  saying,  *'  Will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you 
the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  "  But  they  cried,  *'  Not  this  Man,  but 
Barabbas."  Pilate  then  asked  them  what  he  should  do  with 
Jesus,  to  which  their  ready  answer  was,  **  Let  Him  be  cruci- 
fied." The  third  time,  Pilate  proposed  His  release  on  the 
ground  of  His  innocence,  and  declared  his  intention  to  re- 


68  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

lease  Him.  This  fanned  their  anger  to  a  flame,  and  they 
cried  out  exceedingly,  "  Crucify  Him."  See  notes  on  Section 
XIX. 


SECTION  XIX.— PILATE  ON  THE 
JUDGMENT-SEA  T 

19  ''When  he  was  set  down  on  the  judgment- 
seat,  his  wife*  sent  unto  him,  saying,  Have  thou 
nothing  to  do  with  that  just  Man,  for  I  have 
suffered  many  things  this  day  in  a  dream  be- 
cause of  Him"   (Matt,  xxvii.). 

24  So  when  Pilate  saw  that  he  prevailed 
nothing,  but  rather  that  a  tumult  was  arising,  he 
took  water  and  washed  f  his  hands  before  the 
multitude,  saying,  I  am  innocent  of  the  blood 
OF  THIS  RIGHTEOUS  Man  ;  See  ye  to  it. 

25  And  all  the  people  answered  and  said. 
His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children  (Matt, 
xxvii.). 


-On  the  time  of  the  dream  of  Pilate's  wife,  see  Greswell,  Vol,  III., 
p.  232.  See  also  Dr.  Geikie,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  544,  545,  and  Farrar,  Vol.  II., 
p,  375;  Dr.  Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  351. 

t  "The  custom,  though  Jewish  (Deut.  xxi :  6,  7,  'All  the  elders  .  . 
shall  wash  their  hands,  .  .  .  and  say.  Our  hands  have  not  shed  this 
blood,  neither  have  our  eyes  seen  it'),  was  also  Greek  and  Roman" 
(Farrar). 


Section  XIX.  6g 


ON   SECTION   XIX. 

When  the  answer  to  Pilate's  second  proposal  to  release 
Jesus  came  in  a  perfect  hailstorm  of  wrath,  he  sat  down 
on  his  judgment-seat,  paralyzed  in  his  effort,  and  convinced 
that  he  was  going  to  be  compelled  to  consent  to  the  death  of 
Jesus.  At  this  moment  of  tremendous  suspense,  his  wife  sent 
a  message,  warning  him  to  have  nothing  to  do  in  shedding 
the  blood  of  the  righteous  Jesus;  stating  that  in  a  dream  she 
had  had  something  like  a  presentiment  that  her  husband  was 
about  to  imbrue  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God. 
This  to  Pilate  seemed  like  a  message  from  the  upper  world 
(perhaps  it  was |.  It  brought  him  to  his  feet;  and,  calling 
for  a  vessel  of  water,  he  washed  his  hands  in  the  presence  of 
that  vast  multitude,  exclaiming,  •'  I  call  on  this  vast  company 
to  witness  that  I  have  not,  and  do  not  condemn  Jesus  of 
Nazareth ;  and  that  I  am  innocent  of  His  blood  ;  if  He  is  slain. 
His  blood  shall  be  on  you;  see  to  it."  Then  came  the  cry  of 
triumph,  '*  His  blood  be  on  us  and  on  our  children."  Pilate 
saw  that  the  storm  of  wrath  was  ready  to  burst  over  his 
head,  and  that  to  release  Jesus,  would  be  to  have  Him  mur- 
dered on  the  spot.  Overcome,  he  sank  back  in  his  judgment- 
chair —  but  see  notes  on  Section  XX. 

The  Revenges  of  History.—  <' And  now  mark,  for  one 
moment,  the  revenges  of  History.  Has  not  His  blood  been 
on  them,  and  on  their  children  ?  Has  it  not  fallen  most  of 
all  on  those  most  nearly  concerned  in  that  deep  tragedy? 
Before  the  dread  sacrifice  was  consummated,  Judas  died  in 
the  horrors  of  a  loathsome  suicide.  Caiaphas  was  deposed 
the  year  following.  Herod  died  in  infamy -and  exile.  Pilate, 
wearied  out  with  misfortunes,  died  in  suicide  and  banish- 
ment, leaving  behind  him  an  execrated  name.  The  house  of 
Annas  was  destroyed  a  generation    later    by  an  infuriated 


yo  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

mob,  and  his  son  was  dragged  through  the  streets,  and 
scourged  and  beaten  to  his  place  of  murder.  Some  of  those 
who  shared  in  and  witnessed  the  scenes  of  that  day  —  and 
thousands  of  their  children — also  shared  in  and  witnessed 
the  long  horrors  of  that  siege  of  Jerusalem  which  stands 
unparalleled  in  history  for  its  unutterableness  and  fearfulness. 
.  .  .  They  had  accepted  the  guilt  of  blood,  and  the  last 
pages  of  their  history  were  glued  together  with  the  rivers  of 
their  blood,  and  that  blood  continued  to  be  shed  in  wanton 
cruelties  from  age  to  age."  (Dr.  Farrar,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  388- 
390.) 


SECTION  XX.— CONSENTING    TO 
JESUS'   DEATH. 

24  * '  And  Pilate  gave  sentence  that  what  they 
asked  for  should  be  done"  (Luke  xxiii.). 

15  "  And  Pilate,  wishing  to  content  the  mul- 
titude, released  unto  them  Barabbas,  and  deliv- 
ered Jesus  (when  he  had  scourged  Him)  to  be 
crucified  "  (Mark  xv.). 

ON   SECTION    XX. 

The  above  verses,  including  Matt,  xxvii.  26,  describe  that 
which  Pilate  intended  to  be  the  conclusion  of  the  Savior's 
shameful  and  protracted  trials.  This  is  evident  from  the 
sequel  in  the  Synoptists'  narratives.    Especially  from  Luke's, 


Section  XX.  71 

where  the  Savior  is  represented  as  being  scourged,  and  led 
immediately  thereafter  to  Calvary.  That  Pilate  intended  this 
to  be  the  close  of  the  Savior's  trials,  is  further  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  he  at  this  time  had  Him  scourged,  which  -wss 
the  customary  prelude  to  crucifixion.  Mark  clinches  this 
thought,  **  delivered  Jesus  (when  he  had  scourged  Him)  to  be 
crucified."  When  Pilate  delivered  the  Savior  into  the  hands 
of  the  lictors,  he  intended  to  go  to  Calvary  as  soon  as  the 
necessary  preparations  could  be  made.  I  emphasize  this 
thought  because  it  has  (so  far  as  I  know)  never  been  brought 
out;  and  because  it  has  much  to  do  in  properly  interpreting 
the  feelings  and  motives  of  Pilate.  It  should  be  remembered 
that  he  did  not  at  this  time,  and  never  did,  pass  the  death 
sentence  on  Jesus.  He  consented  that  the  multitude  might 
force  him  to  crucify  the  Lord,  he  shifting,  or  claiming  to 
shift,  the  entire  responsibility  on  them.  See  notes  on  Sec- 
tions XXII.,  XXIII. 


BETWEEN    TRIALS. 

SECTION  XXL  ^  SCOURGING  JESUS. 

I    Then    Pilate    therefore    took    Jesus    and 
scourged  Him  (John  xix.). 

ON    SECTION    XXI. 

''Victims  condemned  to  the  cross  first  underwent  the  hideous 
torture  of  the  scourge,  and  this  was  forthwith  inflicted  on 
Jesus.  Pilate,  in  person,  commanded  it  to  be  carried  out. 
*  Go,  bind  His  hands,  and  let  Him  be  beaten,'  was  the  order, 
for  this  terrible  prelude  to  crucifixion."  Roman  citizens 
were  still  exempted,  by  various  laws,  from  this  agonizing  and 
painful  punishment,  which  was  employed  sometimes  to  elicit 
confessions,  sometimes  as  a  substitute  for  execution,  and  at 
others  as  the  first  step  in  capital  sentences.  It  was  in  full  use 
in  the  provinces,  and  lawless  governors  did  not  scruple  to 
enforce  it  even  on  Roman  citizens,  in  spite  of  their  protests 
that  they  were  so.  Jesus  was  now  seized  by  some  of  the  sol- 
diers standing  near,  and,  after  being  stripped  to  the  waist, 
was  bound  in  a  stooping  posture,  His  hands  behind  His  back, 
to  a  post,  or  low  pillar,  near  the  tribunal.  He  was  then 
beaten,  till  the  soldiers  chose  to  stop,  with  knots  of  rope,  or 
plaited  leather  thongs,  armed  at  the  ends  with  acorn-shaped 
drops  of  lead,  or  small,  sharp-pointed  bones.    In  many  cases, 


Sectmi  XXI.  75 

not  only  was  the  back  of  the  person  scourged,  cut  open  in  all 
directions  :  even  the  eyes,  the  face,  and  the  breast  were  torn 
and  cut,  and  the  teeth  not  seldom  knocked  out.  The  judge 
stood  by,  to  stimulate  the  sinewy  executioners  by  cries  of 
"Give  it  Him,"  —  but  we  may  trust  that  Pilate,  though  his 
office  required  his  presence,  spared  himself  this  crime. 

Under  the  fury  of  the  countless  stripes,  the  victims  some- 
times sank,  amidst  screams,  convulsive  leaps  and  distortions, 
into  a  senseless  heap  ;  sometimes  died  on  the  spot;  sometimes 
were  taken  away  an  unrecognizable  mass  of  bleeding  flesh,  to 
find  deliverance  in  death,  from  the  inflammation  and  fever, 
sickness  and  shame. 

The  scourging  of  Jesus  was  of,  the  severest,  for  the  soldiers 
employed  as  lictors,  in  the  absence  of  these  special  officials, 
who  were  not  allowed  to  procurators,  only  too  gladly  vented 
on  any  Jew  the  grudge  they  bore  to  the  nation,  and  they 
would,  doubtless,  try  if  they  could  not  force  out  the  confes- 
sion which  His  silence  had  denied  to  the  governor.  Besides, 
He  was  to  be  crucified,  and  the  harder  the  scourging,  the 
less  life  would  there  be  left,  to  keep  them  on  guard  at  the 
cross  afterwards.  What  He  must  have  endured  is  pictured  to 
us  by  Eusebius,  in  the  Epistle  of  the  Church  in  Smyrna. 
*  All  around  were  horrified  to  see  them  (the  martyrs),'  says 
he,  *so  torn  with  scourges  that  their  very  veins  were  laid 
bare,  and  the  inner  muscles  and  sinews,  and  even  the  very 
bowels,  exposed.'"  (Dr.  Geikie,  Vol.  11. ,  pp.  547,  548.) 
See  diagram,  p.  60. 

"Jesus  was  probably  not  scourged  with  rods,  but  with  a 
scourge  twisted  of  leather  thongs  [Friedlieb,  115].  On  the 
frightful  weight  and  effect  of  the  Roman  scourging,  and  the 
shocking  thirst  for  blood  of  the  Romans  of  that  time  gener- 
erally,  comp.  Sepp,  iii.  511."     (Quoted  by  Lange,  Vol.  III., 

P-  356). 

Keim    gives    substantially    the    same    description   of    the 


74  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

scourging.  Vol.  VI.,  pp.  116-118.  Dr.  Farrar,  Vol.  II., 
PP-  379,  380.     Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  355. 

*'  A  twofold  scourging  was  in  use  among  the  Romans.  The 
one  was  inflicted  on  those  who  were  already  condemned  to 
crucifixion.  It  was  so  barbarous  that  the  criminals  often 
gave  up  the  ghost  during  its  execution.  Further,  scourging 
was  also  applied  without  the  consequent  punishment  of 
death,  either  to  bring  the  delinquents  to  some  sort  of  confession^  or 
to  punish  them  for  a  crime.  The  latter  kind  of  scourging 
was  what  Pilate  allowed  to  be  inflicted  on  Jesus.  It  was  not 
inferior  in  cruelty  to  the  former,  although  its  severity  de- 
pended wholly  on  the  will  of  the  magistrates."  (Friedlieb, 
114.)  "On  the  difference  between  the  Jewish  and  Roman 
scourging,  see  Sepp,  iii.  510." 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  conclude,  as  Sepp  does,  that  Pilate 
had  Jesus  scourged  for  the  purpose  of  eliciting  from  Him  a 
confession  of  guilt ;  for  he  did  not  believe  He  needed  to 
make  such  a  confession.  He  was  scourged  because  it  was 
customary  to  scourge  criminals  before  leading  them  to  cruci- 
fixion. It  is  also  a  great  mistake  to  conclude  that  Jesus  was 
twice  scourged.  The  scourging  referred  to  in  Matt,  xxvii. 
26,  and  in  Mark  xv.  15,  is  the  same  as  that  referred  to  in 
John  xix.  I.  Matthew,  Mark  and  John  mention  the  scourg- 
ing at  the  proper  time.  Luke  omits  it.  But  for  John,  we 
would  know  nothing  of  the  Savior's  last  trial  before  Pilate. 
See  Sections  XXIV.-XXVII.  Hear  the  words  of  the  great 
prophet  on  the  scourging  of  Jesus,  **  He  was  wounded  for 
our  transgressions.  He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities :  the 
chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  Him ;  and  with  His 
stripes  we  are  healed  "  (Isa.  liii.  5).  *'  I  gave  my  back  to 
the  smiters"  (Isa.  1.  6 ;  I.  Peter  ii.  24). 


BETWEEN   TRIALS. 

SECTION  XXI I.  —JESUS  MOCKED  BY 
PILATE'S  SOLDIERS. 

27  "Then  the  soldiers  of  the  governor  took 
Jesus  into  the  common  hall,  and  gathered  unto 
Him  the  whole  band  of  soldiers. 

28  *'  And  they  stripped  Him,  and  put  on 
Him  a  scarlet  robe. 

29  ' '  And  when  they  had  platted  a  crown  of 
thorns,  they  put  it  upon  His  head,  and  a  reed 
in  His  right  hand  :  and  they  bowed  the  knee 
before  Him,  and  mocked  Him,  saying.  Hail, 
King  of  the  Jews  ! 

30  ''  And  they  spit  upon  Him,  and  took  the 
reed,  and  smote  Him  on  the  head  "  (Matt, 
xxvii.,  A.  v.). 

3  "  And  they  smote  Him  with  their  hands  " 
(John  xix.,  A.  V.). 

ON    SECTION  XXII. 

This  is  the  third  time  the  dear  Redeemer  was  mocked  on 
this  fatal   day.     First,   in   the   palace  of   Caiaphas,   by  the 

75 


*]6  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

Jewish  police  (Section  VI,)  ;  secondly,  in  the  Asmonean 
palace,  by  Herod's  soldiers  (Section  XVI.)  ;  and  thirdly,  in 
the  prsetorium-hall  in  Herod's  palace  (Section  XXII.).  See 
-diagram,  page  60.  Hard  by  the  pavement,  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  vast  multitude,  Jesus  vi^as  publicly  stripped,  and 
shamefully  beaten.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  scourging,  those 
who  guarded  Jesus  put  His  own  raiment  on  Him,  led  Him 
into  the  prsetorium-hall,  and  called  together  "  the  whole 
band  of  soldiers."  This  refers  to  a  cohort,  which  in  a 
military  sense  among  the  Romans  denoted  a  company  gener- 
ally composed  of  six  hundred  foot  soldiers.  This  is  further 
evident,  when  we  consider  Pilate's  former  difficulty  with  the 
Jews,  and  their  disposition  to  rebel  against  him  during  the 
passovers.  Therefore,  he  would  go  to  Jerusalem  from  Caesarea 
with  not  simply  a  body-guard,  but  with  a  sufficient  military 
force  to  quell  any  riot  that  might  occur.  From  these  facts,  it 
is  evident  that  the  mock  homage,  mock  coronation,  and 
brutal  treatment  of  the  blessed  Redeemer  took  place  in  the 
presence  of  at  least  five  hundred  Roman  soldiers.  This 
inhuman  treatment  of  the  Son  of  God  was  not  ordered,  or 
witnessed,  by  Pilate,  but  grew  out  of  the  wickedness  of  the 
Roman  guards,  who  had  been  demoralized  by  the  example  of 
the  Sanhedrists. 

The  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus  being  decided  on,  the  Ro- 
mans' utter  hatred  of  the  Jews  (for  Jesus  was  a  Jew),  the 
"Sanhedrin's  terrible  condemnation  of  Him,  and  the  union  of 
the  Romans  and  the  Jews,  took  all  opposition  out  of  the  way, 
-conspired  to,  and  called  forth,  all  the  hellishness  of  the 
bestialized  Roman  soldiery. 

Keim  says:  "The  whole  of  the  guards  of  the  palace,  a 
cohort  of  at  least  five  hundred  men,  perhaps  the  body-guard 
that  Pilate  had  brought  with  him  from  Caesarea,  were  called 
forth  and  drawn  up  in  the  palace-yard,  in  order  to  preserve 
order.     ...     As  there  was  some  appearance  of  a  revolu- 


Section  XXIL  77 

tionary  movement  among  the  people,  Pilate  would  wish  to  be 
prepared  for  whatever  might  transpire."  (Vol.  VI.,  pp.  123, 
124.)  In  another  place,  in  speaking  of  the  Jewish  feasts,  he 
says:  *'  Pilate  was  compelled  to  honor  them  by  observing  the 
graceful  custom  of  granting  a  pardon  at  the  passover  ;  but 
Roman  troops — at  least  one  thousand  men,  often  more — kept 
guard  in  the  temple  courts  and  in  the  fort  Antonia,  which 
commanded  the  temple,  in  order  to  suppress  insurrection ; 
while  the  procurator  residing  in  Csesarea,  with  a  chosen  body 
of  Romans,  could  make  his  appearance  in  Jerusalem,  by  way 
of  Antipatris,  in  twenty-four  hours  ;  and  even  the  governor 
of  Syria  often  went  up  to  the  feasts,  as  on  these  occasions 
the  nation  was  particularly  disposed  to  reveal  its  temper." 
(Vol.  I.,  p.  267.) 

*•  And  they  stripped  Him." — Stripping  Jesus  is  not  men- 
tioned by  Mark  (xv.  i6,  17),  but  he  speaks  of  the  re-clothing 
Him.  (xv.  20) ;  therefore,  he  is  in  perfect  harmony  with 
Matthew.  Jesus  was  not  stripped  of  His  raiment,  when  He 
was  clothed  with  a  white  robe  by  Herod  Antipas  ;  neither  did 
He  wear  it  longer  than  His  arrival  in  the  prsetorium-hall 
before  Pilate.  Therefore,  the  stripping  referred  to  in  this 
section  means  Jesus'  own  raiment. 

"  Put  on  Him  a  scarlet  robe." — Dr.  Geikie  says:  "They 
threw  over  His  shoulders  a  scarlet  sagum,  or  soldier's  cloak, 
as  a  rough  burlesque  of  the  long  and  fine  purple  one,  worn 
only  by  the  Emperor,"  (Vol.  II.,  p.  549).  Theodore  Keim 
says:  "  They  jestingly  threw  round  Him,  instead  of  the 
Israelitish  outer  garment,  a  small  circular  cloak,  and  fastened 
it  with  a  buckle  upon  His  right  shoulder.  The  sagum  or 
plaudamentum  was  also  worn  by  Roman  generals  and  impe- 
rators,  and  was  conferred  as  an  honor  upon  foreign  kings  ; 
but  in  these  cases  it  was  larger  and  of  better  material  and 
color,  and  furnished  with  a  golden  buckle.  Thus  Jesus  was 
made  to  represent  such  an  imperator  in  the  sagum,  according 


78  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

to  Mark  and  John,  a  king  in  purple."  (Vol.  VI.,  pp.  119, 
120.)  See  also  Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  357. 
^  The  Crown  of  Thorns. — We  can  not  certainly  tell  the 
kind  of  thorns  used  in  constructing  this  fearful  instrument  of 
torture.  Dr.  Geikie  thinks  it  was  constructed  from  the 
branches  of  a  dwarf  bush  called  Nubk,  which  still  grows 
near  Jerusalem.  Ellicott  says:  "The  choice  of  the  plant 
was  not  suggested  by  the  sharpness  of  its  thorns :  the  soldiers 
took  what  first  came  to  hand,  utterly  careless  whether  it  was 
likely  to  inflict  pain  or  not."  This  is  about  all  we  can  know 
of  this. 

"  A  reed  in  His  right  hand." — This  signifies  that  He  was 
unbound.  The  reed  was  to  indicate  mock  ruling.  In  one 
short  word,  let  us  review  this  tragic  scene  :  Jesus  is  taken  into 
the  prsetorium-hall,  stripped  of  His  raiment,  clothed  with  a 
war-cloak,  a  crown  of  thorns  placed  on  His  head,  a  reed  put 
in  His  right  hand ;  Roman  soldiers  in  turn  pass  before  Him, 
bowing  their  knees  as  they  go,  and  saying,  '*  Hail,  King  of 
the  Jews ! "  then  spit  in  his  face,  then  take  the  reed  and 
strike  the  crown,  driving  the  thorns  deep  into  the  flesh, 
making  the  blood  gush  from  a  score  of  gashes,  then  smite 
Him  with  their  hands.  This  scene,  in  point  of  wickedness,  is 
an  indescribable  one;  and  when  the  attempt  is  made,  the 
strongest  words  both  bend  and  break.  Was  all  this  endured 
for  me  ?  Dear  reader,  was  it  not  for  thee  ?  For  thee  !  — not 
for  thee  only,  but  for  every  weary  soul  who  penitently 
desires  to  take  the  Lord  Jesus  to  be  his  Savior,  and  to  follow 
in  His  commands. 

Let  this  brutal  scene  (which  is  enough  to  make  the  heart 
turn  sick)  close  with  the  wonderful  words  of  the  great 
prophet,  *'  I  gave  my  back  to  the  smiters,  and  my  cheeks  to 
them  that  plucked  off  the  hair  :  I  hid  not  my  face  from  shame 
and  spitting  "  (Isa.  1.  6).     See  notes  on  Section  XXIII. 


Section  XXIII.  79 

SECTION  XXIII  — WRITING    THE 
TITLE  FOR  JESUS'    CROSS. 

19  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title  (John  xix.). 

ON    SECTION    XXIII. 

The  Evangelists  do  not  mention  the  crosses  for  the  robbers, 
nor  the  titles  of  their  crimes ;  and  yet  they  had  both.  This 
omission  can  be  accounted  for  in  part,  because  they  were 
condemned  to  crucifixion,  the  time  set,  the  titles  and  crosses 
prepared,  prior  to  the  Savior's  arrest ;  and  in  part,  because 
there  was  nothing  extraordinary  about  their  titles,  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  everything  connected  with  Jesus'  title  was 
extraordinary.  We  thank  John  for  his  brief  word,  telling  us 
who  wrote  the  title  for  our  Savior's  cross.  When  and  where 
was  this  title  written  ?  It  is  evident  that  Pilate  did  not  write 
it  prior  to  Jesus'  being  sentenced  to  crucifixion.  This  was 
first  decided  at  the  time  indicated  in  Section  XX.  It  is  also 
evident  that  he  did  not  write  it  during  the  time  Jesus  was 
being  scourged ;  for  his  official  duty  required  him  to  witness 
that  brutal  scene.  The  next  event  in  the  Savior's  tragedy 
was  His  mockery  in  the  praetorium-hall.  It  was  during  this 
brutal  enactment  that  Pilate  went  into  his  palace,  ordered  the 
Savior's  cross  made,  wrote  the  title  for  it,  and  made  general 
preparations  for  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  and  the  robbers. 
This  becomes  quite  evident  when  we  consider  that  when 
Pilate  had  Jesus  scourged,  he  had  no  thought  of  making 
further  effort  to  save  His  life.  This  is  further  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  when  Pilate  consented  to  Jesus'  crucifixion  the 
second  time,  the  guards,  the  great  company  of  soldiers,  the 


8o  The   Trials  of  Christ, 

crosses,  the  titles  —  all  things  were  in  readiness  at  the  pave- 
ment for  the  journey  to  Calvary.    See  "  On  Section  XXVIII." 

That  Pilate  wrote  the  title  in  Jerusalem,  and  that  it  was  not 
nailed  to  the  cross  until  the  company  reached  Calvary,  is 
witnessed  by  this  :  those  who  were  condemned  to  death  had 
the  titles  of  their  crimes  written  in  large  black  letters,  on 
white  boards,  and  carried  ^before  them,  o-r  hung  from  their 
necks  as  they  were  led  forth  to  crucifixion. 

**  In  leading  to  his  death  a  person  condemned  to  cruci- 
fixion, it  was  usual  to  carry  before  him,  or  put  on  him,  an 
inscription,  stating  the  crime  for  which  he  suffered ;  and 
sometimes  such  inscription  was  fastened  to  his  cross,  as  in  the 
present  instance."     (Kitto.) 

"  On  a  white  tablet  the  cause  of  His  execution  was  re- 
corded. We  know  not  whether  He  bore  it  on  His  neck,  or 
whether  it  was  carried  before  Him,  for  both  modes  were 
practiced."     (Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  373.) 

'*  According  to  the  definition  of  Suidas,  quoted  by  Pearson, 
the  board  was  a  tablet  or  table,  whitened  with  a  coating  of 
gypsum,  and  commonly  used  for  writing  any  public  notices. 
But  whether  this  was  carried  before  the  Savior  or  hung  round 
His  neck,  seems  uncertain,  but  the  former  much  more  prob- 
able." 

In  speaking  of  the  Golgotha  procession.  Dr.  Geikie  says : 
"The  soldiers  stepped  into  their  ranks,  and  the  prisoners 
were  set  under  guard  in  their  places,  each  carrying,  hung 
from  his  neck,  a  whitened  board,  proclaiming  in  large  black 
letters  the  offences  for  which  he  was  about  to  die ;  unless, 
indeed,  as  in  some  cases,  a  soldier  bore  it  before  them." 
(Vol.  II.,  p.  559.)  Dr.  Farrar  says  the  board  containing  the 
title  of  the  crime  for  wliich  one  was  to  be  crucified  "  was 
sometimes  hung  round  the  neck."  (Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IL, 
p.  396.) 


Section  XXI I  I.  8 1 

"  Ordinarily,  the  progession  was  headed  by  the  centurion, 
or  rather  preceded  by  one  who  proclaimed  the  nature  of  the 
crime,  and  carried  a  white  wooden  board,  on  which  it  was 
written."     (Edersheim,  Vol.  II.,  p.  583.) 

"  The  official  white  tablet  .  .  .  accompanied  the  pro- 
cession to  the  place  of  execution  and  contained  the  title  of 
the  crime,  as  well  as  the  name  of  the  criminal."  (Keim's 
Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  150.) 

**  The  title  in  question  must  have  been  prepared  before 
the  procession  set  out,  and  brought  by  the  soldiers  with 
them.  .  .  .  It  is  probable,  then,  that  Pilate  was  getting 
the  title  ready  while  the  soldiers  and  the  rest  of  the  band 
were  employed  in  the  mockery  of  Jesus."  (Greswell,  Vol. 
III.,  pp.  246,  247.) 

It  is  not  certain  whether  the  robbers'  titles  were  nailed 
to  their  crosses.  We  are  of  the  opinion  they  were  not.  For 
the  wonderful  significance  of  the  title  on  Jesus'  cross,  see 
Section  XXX. 

For  the  events  that  occurred  between  the  writing  of  the 
title  and  the  starting  to  Golgotha,  see  Sections  XXIV.- 
XXVII. 


West 


Audience 
Diagram  of  Herod's  Palace,  Illustrative  of  Jesus'  Last  Triai. 
Before  Pilatb,  etc. 


Copyright,  1886,  by  Standard  Publishing  Company. 
(82) 


Diagram  of  Herod's  Palace. 

Explanation. — a  a  a  a.  Pilate  goes  out  on  to  the  Pavement,  and 
pronounces  Jesus  innocent  (Section  24).  a  2.  Pilate  has  Jesus  brought 
out  on  to  the  Pavement,  and  cries,  "  Behold  the  Man  !"  i  2  j.  Herod, 
Annas,  Caiphas.  b  b  b.  Pilate  takes  Jesus  in  to  the  Praetorium  Hall,  and 
asks  Him  if  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  but  gets  no  answer  (Section  25). 
<  c  c.  Pilate  leaves  Jesus  in  Praetorium  Hall,  goes  out  on  to  Pavement, 
and  seeks  to  release  Him  (Section  26).  c  2.  Pilate  brings  Jesus  out  on 
to  the  Pavement,  d.  Pilate  sits  down  on  his  judgment  seat,  and  cries 
out,  "  Behold  your  King."  e.  Pilate  delivers  Jesus  to  his  soldiers  (Sec» 
don  27).  /.  Pilate's  soldiers  take  Jesus,  and  put  His  own  raiment  on 
Him  (Section  28).    g.  Golgatha  procession. 

(83) 


LAST   TRIAL. 

SECTION  XXIV.— JESUS    BEFORE 
PILATE, 

4  Pilate  therefore  went  forth  again,  and  saith 
unto  them,  Behold,  I  bring  Him  forth  to  you, 
that  ye  may  know  that  I  find  no  fault  in 
Him. 

.  5  Then  came  Jesus  forth,  wearing  the  crown 
of  thorns,  and  the  purple  robe.  And  Pilate 
saith  unto  them.  Behold  the  Man  ! 

6  When  the  chief  priests,  therefore,  and  offi- 
cers saw  Him,  they  cried  out,  saying,  Crucify 
Him,  Crucify  Him.  Pilate  saith  unto  them, 
Take  ye  Him,  and  crucify  Him :  for  I  find  no 
FAULT  in  Him. 

7  The  Jews  answered  Him,  We  have  a  law, 
and  by  our  law  He  ought  to  die,  because  He 
made  Himself  the  Son  of  God. 

8  When  Pilate  therefore  heard  that  sayings 
he  was  the  more  afraid  (John  xix.,  A.  V.). 

84 


Section  XXIV.  8$ 


ON   SECTION   XXIV. 

Our  notes  on  Section  XXIII.  left  Pilate  in  his  palace. 
He  went  into  it,  to  make  preparations  for  the  immediate  cru- 
cifixion of  Jesus.  He  came  out,  determined  to  release  Him. 
He  had  released  Barabbas  (Section  XX.)  to  the  multitude, 
and  Jesus  could  not  now  be  released  under  the  plea  of  their 
custom.  What  changed  his  mind  ?  He  had  publicly  prom- 
ised the  multitude  he  would  crucify  Jesus  according  to  their 
will  (Section  XX.)  What  changed  his  mind?  The  cross 
and  title  were  ready  :  what  changed  his  mind  ?  His  officers 
were  ready  to  call  the  procession  into  line  :  what  could  have 
changed  his  mind  ?  This  :  —  as  he  was  passing  through  the 
prsetorium-hall,  he  saw  the  Savior,  clothed  in  a  scarlet  robe, 
bruised,  mangled,  bleeding  —  bleeding,  as  he  had  never  seen 
a  mortal  man.  This  changed  his  mind,  touched  his  heart, 
and  inspired  him  anew  to  seek  to  release  Him.  The  release 
of  Barabbas,  the  promise  to  crucify  Jesus,  and  the  boiling 
expectation  of  the  multitude  who  would  not  be  defeated,  had 
completely  compromised  Pilate's  ability  to  save  Him :  and 
yet,  in  the  face  of  these  human  insurmountable  barriers,  and 
with  the  strongest  probability  of  a  riot,  he  went  boldly  out 
on  the  pavement,  and  publicly  exclaimed,  **  Behold,  I  am 
going  to  bring  Jesus  out  to  you,  that  you  may  all  know  that 
I  find  no  fault  in  Him."  Then  the  guards  led  Jesus  out  on 
to  the  pavement  by  the  side  of  Pilate. 

There  He  stands,  with  His  hands  bound,  clothed  in  a  scarlet 
robe  all  spotted  and  streaked  with  blood  ;  a  crown  of  thorns 
on  His  head ;  the  blood  oozing  from  a  score  of  thorn-gashes  ; 
dried  blood  in  His  hair,  on  His  face,  on  His  hands,  and  with 
the  very  marks  of  the  soldier's  spittle  on  Him.  There  He 
stands — weak,  lonely,  friendless,  homeless,  defenseless,  tear- 


86  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

stained,  blood-stained  creature.  ••  Behold  the  Man  !  "  cried 
Pilate. 

**  His  visage  was  so  marred,  more  than  any  man,  and  his 
form  more  than  the  sons  of  men  "  (Isa.  Hi.  14).  Surely  such 
a  sight  would  have  moved  any  heart  that  was  not  as  hard  as 
rock.  But  it  did  not  touch  the  hearts  of  the  chief  priests 
and  Jewish  officers  ;  for,  when  they  saw  Him  thus,  they  cried 
out,  "Crucify,  crucify  Him."  Pilate  says,  "Take  Him  and 
crucify  Him  yourselves ;  for  I  —  will  —  not  —  do  —  it ;  for  I 
find  no  fault  in  Him."  Then  they  fell  back  on  their  orig- 
inal charge  by  saying,  "  He  ought  to  die,  because  He  made 
Himself  the  Son  of  God." 

"  Son  of  God  !  Son  of  God  !  Son  of  God  !  "  said  Pilate  to 
himself;  "  I  must  know  what  that  means  before  I  further  go  ; 
this  mysterious  Man  may  be  from  another  world  ;  I  will  ask 
Him."     See  notes  on  Section  XXV. 


SECTION  XXV.— JESUS  BEFORE 
PILATE, 

9  And  went  again  into  the  judgment  hall, 
and  saith  unto  Jesus,  Whence  art  Thou  ?  But 
Jesus  gave  Him  no  answer. 

10  Then  saith  Pilate  unto  Him,  Speakest 
Thou  not  unto  me?  knowest  Thou  not  that  I 
have  power  to  crucify  Thee,  and  have  power  to 
release  Thee  ? 


Section  XXVI.  87 

1 1  Jesus  answered,  Thou  couldest  have  no 
power  at  all  against  Me,  except  it  were  given 
thee  from  above :  therefore  he  that  delivered 
Me  unto  thee  hath  the  greater  sin  (John  xix., 
A.  v.). 

ON    SECTION    XXV. 

When  the  chief  priests  charged  Jesus  with  saying  that  He 
was  the  Son  of  God,  Pilate  was  the  more  afraid,  and  took 
Him  into  the  prsetorium-hall,  and  asked  Him  from  what 
place,  or  world,  He  had  come;  but  received  no  answer. 
Pilate  said  to  Him,  "Jesus,  speakest  Thou  not  tome?  know- 
est  Thou  not  that  I  have  the  power  to  release  thee,  and  have 
also  power  to  crucify  Thee  ?  Dost  Thou  not  know  that  Thy 
c^oss  is  ready  and  waiting  for  Thee  ?  Dost  thou  not  know 
that  my  soldiers  are  waiting  my  commands  to  crucify  Thee  ? 
Speakest  Thou  not  to  me  —  to  me,  representative  of  the 
Roman  Empire?"  Jesus'  wonderfully  significant  answer 
was,  "  If  it  were  not  a  matter  of  divine  permission,  thou 
couldst  have  no  power  at  all  over  Me  :  therefore  Caiaphas, 
who  delivered  Me  to  thee,  hath  a  greater  sin  than  thee."  See 
notes,  Section  XXVI.  ;  see  also  diagram,  page  82. 


SECTION  XXVI— JESUS  BEFORE 
PI  LA  TE. 

12    And  from  thenceforth  Pilate  sought  to 
release  Him :  but  the  Jews  cried  out,  saying,  If 


88  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

thou  let  this  Man  go,  thou  art  not  Caesar's 
friend;  whosoever  maketh  himself  a  king, 
speaketh  against  Caesar  (John  xix.,  A.  V.). 

ON    SECTION    XXVI. 

When  Jesus  told  Pilate  he  would  be  powerless  lo  crucify 
Him,  without  the  divine  permission,  he  seems  to  have  been 
more  fearful  than  ever,  and  went  out  on  to  the  pavement 
again  and  sought  to  release  Him.  But  he  was  met  by  the 
most  terrible  expression  that  had  fallen  upon  his  ears,  *'  If 
thou  let  this  Man  go,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend.  He  speaks 
against  Caesar,  and  if  thou  let  Him  go,  we  will  report  thy  trea- 
son to  the  emperor."  The  Jews  knew  that  the  Roman  Em- 
peror appointed  and  removed  the  governors  of  the  provinces 
at  will ;  therefore,  they  threatened  Pilate  with  the  loss  of  his 
position  if  he  did  not  yield  to  their  demand.  This  threat 
struck  Pilate  at  the  weakest  point.  But  how  glaring  the 
hypocrisy  of  these  Jews  !  They  pretended  to  love  the  gov- 
ernment of  Rome,  and  to  revere  her  king ;  whilst  in  their 
hearts  they  hated  both  with  a  perfect  hatred.  This  threat 
struck  Pilate  with  terror  ;  — but  see  notes  on  Section  XXVII. 


SECTION  XXVIL— JESUS  BEFORE 
PILA  TE. 

13  When  Pilate  therefore  heard  that  saying, 
he  brought  Jesus  forth,  and  sat  down  in  the 


Section  XXVII.  89 

judgment  seat  in  a  place  that  is  called  the  Pave- 
ment, but  in  the  Hebrew,  Gabbatha. 

14  And  it  was  the  preparation  of  the  pass- 
over,  and  about  the  sixth  hour:  and  he  saith 
unto  the  Jews,  Behold  your  King  ! 

15  But  they  cried  out,  Away  with  Him,  away 
with  Him !  crucify  Him  !  Pilate  saith  unto 
them,  Shall  I  crucify  your  King?  The  chief 
priests  answered.  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar. 

16  Then  delivered  he  Him  therefore  unto 
them  to  be  crucified  (John  xix.,  A.  V.). 

ON    SECTION    XXVII. 

Our  notes  on  Section  XXVI.  left  Pilate  on  the  pavement, 
threatened  by  the  Jews  that  if  he  liberated  Jesus,  they  would 
send  a  charge  of  treason  against  him  to  Rome,  to  Tiberias 
Claudius  Nero  Caesar.  When  he  heard  this —  this,  the  most 
terrible  of  all  words  he  had  heard  from  their  lips  —  he  or- 
dered Jesus  brought  out  of  the  prsetorium-hall  on  to  the 
pavement,*  and  then  sat  down  on  his  judgment-seat ;  and  in 
that  awful  place,  at  that  awful  time,  he  made  his  farewell 
and  touching  appeal  for  the  I^ord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ. 
It  was  made  not  to  the  cold  judgment,  but  to  the  sympathy 
of  the  multitude :  *«  Behold  your  King  —  bleeding,  sad, 
pale,  sick  at  heart,  half  dying  !  have  you  not  hearts  to  pity 
Him?  "     But  in  that  vast  multitude,  not  a  voice  of  pity  was 


*"  It  is  worthy  of  special  note,  that  when  Jesus  was  brought  out  on 
the  pavement  each  time  during  this  trial,  he  had  on  no  garment  save  the 
scarlet  robe.     See  Sections  XXII.  and  XXVIII. 


90  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

heard  —  not  a  single  soul  would  speak  a  word  for  the  **  Man 
of  Sorrows,"  the  bleeding  **  Lamb  of  God."  Not  one  of  His 
apostles  would  raise  his  voice  in  behalf  of  his  Master. 
Even  the  beloved  John,  whom  Jesus  loved,  stood  speechless 
by.  The  holy  Galilean  women  who  had  administered  to  Him 
during  the  days  of  His  ministry  stood  speechless  aud  riveted 
on  the  spot.  His  brethren,  too,  stand  helplessly  by.  And 
His  own  dear  Mother,  on  bended  knees,  and  with  upturned 
face  to  heaven's  God,  wrings  her  hands,  and  bleeds  at  heart, 
but  can  not  speak.  Will  God  let  the  gates  of  heaven  ajar, 
speak,  and  own  His  Son  ?  or  shall  earth  speak,  and  disown 
Him  ?  "Away  with  Him  !  away  with  Him  !  crucify  Him  !  " 
rose  from  a  thousand  voices.  And  now  comes  the  farewell 
word,  "  Shall  I  crucify  your  King?"  And  now  the  final 
yell,  •*  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar."  This  ended  all — Jesus 
is  dead. 

Edersheim  says:  **  With  this  cry,  •  We  have  no  king  but 
Caesar,'  Judaism  was,  in  the  person  of  its  representatives, 
guilty  of  denial  of  God,  of  blasphemy,  of  apostasy.  It 
committed  suicide."     (Vol.  IL,  p.  581.) 

"Where  can  be  seen  political  tyranny,  legitimate  hier- 
archy, and  mob  uproar,  in  a  wilder  medley  than  here,  where 
all  political  powers  have  united  to  raise  themselves  in  one 
great  diabolical  chaos  against  the  Prince  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  ?  "     (Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  366.) 


THE   CRUCIFIXION. 

SECTION  XXVIIL—ON  THE  WAY  TO 
DEA  TH. 

31    ''And     .      .      .     they  took  the  robe  off 
from  Him,  and  put  His  own  raiment  on  Him, 
and  led    Him   away  to    crucify   Him  "    (Matt. 
xxvii.,  A.  v.). 

17  *'  And  He  bearing  His  cross  went  forth  '* 
(John  xix.,  A.  V.). 

26  ' '  And  as  they  led  Him  away,  they  laid 
hold  upon  one  Simon,  a  Cyrenian,  coming  out 
of  the  country,  and  on  him  they  laid  the  cross, 
that  he  might  bear  it  after  Jesus. 

27  "And  there  followed  Him  a  great  com- 
pany of  people,  and  of  women,  which  also 
bewailed  and  lamented  Him. 

28  ''But  Jesus  turning  unto  them  said, 
Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but 
weep  for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children. 

29  "For,  behold,   the   days  are  coming,  in 

the  which  they  shall  say.  Blessed  are  the  barren^ 

91 


92  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

and  the  wombs  that  never  bare,  and  the  paps 
which  never  gave  suck. 

30  "Then  shall  they  begin  to  say  to  the 
mountains,  Fall  on  us ;  and  to  the  hills,  Cover 
us. 

31  * '  For  if  they  do  these  things  in  a  green 
tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry? 

32  *'  And  there  were  also  two  other,  malefac- 
tors, led  with  Him  to  be  put  to  death  "  (Luke 
xxiii.,  A.  v.). 

ON    SECTION    XXVIII. 

It  has  been  stated  that  during  the  last  trial  before  Pilate, 
Jesus  was  clothed  only  with  a  scarlet  robe,  which  was  put  on 
Him  in  the  praetorium-hall.  At  the  close  of  that  trial,  and 
immediately  before  starting  to  Calvary,  He  was  reclothed 
with  His  own  raiment.  The  strong  probability  is  that  the 
crown  of  thorns  was  taken  off  His  head  at  this  time,  though 
there  is  no  statement  in  scripture  or  in  history  to  that  effect. 

The  old  notion,  that  Jesus  carried  His  cross,  just  as  it  was 
when  He  was  crucified  on  it,  is  far  from  the  truth.  The 
upright  part  of  the  cross  was  at  least  ten  feet  high,  and  of 
sufficient  thickness  to  bear  the  weight  of  a  man,  after  it  was 
cut  half  in  two,  to  inlet  the  transverse  beam,  which,  of  itself, 
was  of  sufficient  size  to  bear  the  weight  of  the  person  to  be 
crucified.  These  two  pieces  weighed  not  less  than  one  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  perhaps  much  more ;  which,  as  we  shall 
presently  see,  Jesus  was  utterly  unable  to  carry  any  consider- 
able distance.  This  becomes  evident  when  we  consider  the 
wonderful  mental  and  physical  toils  He  endured  from  the 


Section  XX  VI  11.  95 

time  He  entered  Gethsemane  until  this  hour ;  during  all 
which  time  He  most  probably  did  not  taste  food,  and  surely 
did  not  close  His  eyes  in  sleep.  The  fact  is,  Jesus  was  barely 
able  to  walk  alone  when  the  procession  started  to  Calvary. 
Therefore,  it  was  a  physical  impossibility  for  Him  to  carry 
the  crosSj  as  He  in  pictures  is  represented  to  have  borne  it. 
We  must  not  manufacture  a  miracle,  in  order  to  support  tra- 
ditionary teaching.  It  would  have  been  a  miracle  for  Jesus 
to  carry  His  entire  cross  from  Herod's  palace  to  Calvary. 
Such  was  not  the  custom ;  for  the  cross  was  not  put  together 
until  arriving  at  the  place  of  execution.  It  consisted  of  four 
pieces ;  a  strong  upright  post,  a  transverse  beam,  a  strong 
wooden  pin  (astride  of  which  the  crucified  person  sat),  and  a 
white  board  on  which  were  written  the  name,  and  title  of  the 
crime,  of  the  person.  The  upright  posts  of  the  three  crosses 
were  doubtless  taken  to  Calvary  in  advance  of  the  procession. 
The  part  of  the  cross  Jesus  really  did  carry  a  short  distance 
was  the  transverse  beam.  According  to  Dr.  Geikie,  the 
transverse  beam  consisted  of  two  parts. 

"The  cross  used  at  Calvary  consisted  of  a  strong  post, 
which  was  carried  beforehand  to  the  place  of  execution,  and 
of  two  cross-pieces,  borne  to  the  spot  by  the  victim,  and 
afterwards  nailed  to  the  upright,  so  that  they  slanted  forward 
and  let  the  sufferer  lean  on  his  outstretched  hands,  and  thus 
relieve  the  pressure  of  his  body  downwards.  A  stout,  rough 
wooden  pin  in  the  middle  of  the  upright  post  supplied  a 
seat  of  fitting  agony,  for  the  weight  of  the  body  would  other- 
wise have  torn  it  from  the  cross.  .  .  .  Each  also  bore 
the  cross-beams  of  his  cross,  fastened  together  like  the  letter 
V,  with  his  arms  bound  to  the  projecting  ends."  (Vol.  II., 
PP-  558,  559.) 

'*  An  ancient  Roman  custom  condemned  guilty  slaves  to  be 
led  through  the  streets  with  the  neck  fastened  in  a  V-shaped 
wooden  fork,  originally  the  support  of  the  chariot  pole,  and 


94  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

then  to  be  whipped  to  death  with  rods  or  to  be  dragged  to 
the  cross.  As  crucifixion  became  more  customary,  the  acute- 
angled  fork  was  replaced  by  the  so-called  patibulu7n,  probably 
two  long,  horizontal  beams  of  wood,  the  ends  of  which  could 
be  brought  together,  and  between  which  the  head  of  the 
criminal  was  placed,  and  his  hands  stretched  out  and  bound 
to  the  other  ends.  In  this  wretched  plight,  he  was  dragged 
forth  to  the  place  of  execution,  where,  with  his  patibulum^ 
the  transverse  beam  to  the  vertical  part  of  the  cross,  he  was 
hung  up  and  fastened  on  with  nails.  We  are  unwilling  to 
think  that  to  the  other  sufferings  of  Jesus  was  added  that  of 
the  torturing  disgrace  of  the  neck-yoke,  with  His  hands 
bound  thereto.  .  .  .  There  is  still  proof  that  that  ancient 
form  of  punishment  was  no  longer  the  invariable  rule,  and 
that  Jesus  in  particular — as  His  clothing  and  His  subsequent 
exemption  by  means  of  a  representative  show — was  laden 
with  His  cross  ;  that  is,  with  the  transverse  beam  of  the  cross 
only  lying  upon  His  arms."  (Keim's  Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol. 
VI.,  pp.  124,  125.) 

See  also  Dr.  Farrar,  Vol.  II.,  p.  345  ;  Edersheim,  Vol.  II., 

P-  583- 

We  are  of  the  opinion  that  Jesus  bore  only  the  transverse 
beam  of  His  cross,  and  that  only  a  short  distance.  For  a 
description  of  the  board  that  was  nailed  to  Jesus'  cross,  see 
notes  on  Section  XXIII. 

All  things  in  readiness,  the  deicidal  procession  started  on 
its  deathward  way.  First  came  an  officer  bearing  the  inscrip- 
tion board,  and  proclaiming  the  crime  for  which  the  Son  of 
Mary  was  to  suffer  ;  then  Jesus,  bearing  His  cross,  guarded 
by  four  soldiers ;  then  one  of  the  robbers,  guarded  by  four 
soldiers,  preceded  by  an  officer  bearing  an  inscription  board, 
and  proclaiming  the  nature  of  the  crime  for  which  he  was  to 
die  ;  then  the  other  robber,  likewise  ;  then  the  holy  women, 
among  whom  was  the  mother  of  Jesus ;    then  the  soldiers  j 


Section  XXIX,  95 

then  the  Sanhedrists ;  then  a  motley  throng — on  foot,  on 
horseback,  m  vehicles,  any  way  and  every  way.  And  thus 
they  proceeded  to  the  deadly  spot. 

The  reader  will  find  an  interesting  but  fanciful  article  on 
this  subject  in  Ben-Hor,  p.  529. 


SECTION  XXIX.  — ARRIVAL  AT 
GOLGOTHA. 

33  And  when  they  had  come  unto  a  place 
called  Golgotha,  that  is  to  say,  a  place  of  a 
skull, 

34  They  gave  Him  vinegar  to  drink,  mingled 
with  gall :  and  when  He  had  tasted  thereof,  He 
would  not  drink  (Matt,  xxvii.,  A.  V.). 

*  ON   SECTION   XXIX. 

Golgotha,  or  Calvary,  •'  Hill  of  Dying,"  was  outside  the 
city,  and  a  little  northwest  of  Herod's  palace.  See  Andrews' 
Life  of  Our  Lord,  p.  560;  Keim's  Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol.  VL, 
p.  132. 

As  soon  as  the  procession  had  reached  Calvary,  the  Roman 
soldiers  formed  a  large  death-circle  around  the  spot  of  death. 
Inside  that  circle  could  be  seen  Pontius  Pilate,  the  centurion 
who  commanded  the  executions,  twelve  Roman  soldiers, 
twelve  spears,  the  three  upright  posts  of  the  crosses  planted 


^6  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

in  the  ground,  two  robbers,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  On 
the  ground  inside  the  circle  could  also  be  seen  three  trans< 
verse  beams  for  the  crosses,  three  hammers,  nails,  cords,  short 
ladders,  and  vessels  containing  the  soldiers*  food  and  wine. 
Outside  the  death-circle  could  be  seen  the  fainting  mother  of 
our  Lord,  and  the  devout  women  who  had  followed  Him  all 
the  way  from  Galilee.  The  centurion  now  commands  the 
transverse  beams  nailed  on  the  upright  posts.  It  is  done, 
and  the  cruel  work  is  now  ready  to  commence.  One  touch 
of  humanity,  and  the  barbarous  murdering  must  begin.  A 
Roman  soldier  offers  Jesus  an  anaesthetic,  to  deaden  the 
sensibility  of  His  nervous  system.  He  refuses  to  drink  it. 
"All  things  are  now  ready,"  said  the  centurion;  "let  Jesus 
be  crucified  first."  But  see  notes  on  Section  XXX.  for  the 
continuation  of  this  thought. 

This  anaesthetic  consisted  of  a  sour  wine,  spiced  with 
myrrh. 

"  The  Roman  soldier  carried  his  wine  with  him,  which  was 
of  an  inferior  quality,  but  was  often  strengthened  in  its  effect 
probably  by  mixture  with  spices.  Among  the  Jews  even  in 
later  times,  it  had  become  a  prevailing  custom  to  ofter  a 
draught  of  intoxicating  and  stupefying  wine  to  those  who 
were  being  led  to  execution ;  and  the  rabbis  conceived  that 
they  saw  therein  a  custom  of  pious  gentleness,  which  they 
sought  to  base  even  upon  a  passage  of  holy  Scripture  (Prov. 
xxxi.  6).  Even  in  the  days  of  the  Christian  martyrs,  it  still 
occurred  that  sympathizing  brethren  in  the  faith  and  friends 
of  those  condemned  to  death  offered  in  compassion  such  a 
cup  to  them  on  their  journey  to  the  place  of  execution." 
(Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  382,  383.) 

This  anaesthetic  was  prepared  by  the  good  women  of  Jeru- 
salem, and  it  is  altogether  probable  that  it  was  offered  to  the 
Savior  at  their  request.  In  speaking  of  this  wine  (or  vine- 
gar, as  it  is  in  the  A.  V.),  Matthew  had  his  mind  on  the  fol- 


Section  XXX.  97 

lowing  passage:  "They  gave  me  also  gall  for  my  meat,  and 
in  my  thirst  they  gave  me  vinegar  to  drink  "  (Ps.  Ixix.  21). 
Keim  gives  nothing  new  on  this. 


SECTION   XXX.  — THE   CRUCIFIXION. 

THAT    OF   JESUS. 

25  "And  it  was  the  third  hour,  and  they 
crucified  Him  "  (Mark  xv.,  A.  V.). 

34  *' And  Jesus  said,  Father,  forgive  them; 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do  "  (Luke  xxiii.) 

19  **  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title,  and  put  it  on 
the  cross.  And  the  writing  was,  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews. 

20  ' '  This  title  therefore  read  many  of  the 
Jews :  for  the  place  where  Jesus  was  crucified 
was  nigh  to  the  city:  and  it  was  written  in 
Hebrew,  and  in  Latin,  and  in  Greek. 

21  "The  chief  priests  of  the  Jews  therefore 
said  to  Pilate,  Write  not,  The  King  of  the  Jews, 
but  that  He  said,  I  am  King  of  the  Jews. 

22  "  Pilate  answered.  What  I  have  written, 
I  have  written  "  (John  xix.,  A.  V.). 


5 


Q> 


The  Saviour's  Cross. 


Copyright,  i886,  by  Standard  Publishing  Company. 
98 


Section  XXX.  99 

THAT  OF  THE    ROBBERS. 

27  **  And  with  Him  they  crucify  two  rob- 
bers; one  on  His  right  hand,  and  one  on  His 
left. 

28  ''And  the  Scripture  was  fulfilled,  which 
saith,  And  He  was  numbered  with  transgres- 
sors" (Mark  xv.;  Isa.  liii.  12). 

ON   SECTION    XXX. 

After  Jesus  had  refused  the  anaesthetic,  the  soldiers  stripped 
Him  of  His  raiment,  until,  according  to  history,  He  stood 
before  that  motley,  gaping,  countless  throng,  entirely  nude. 
He  was  then  '*  lifted  up  "  (by  the  help  of  ladders  and  cords) 
and  set  astride  the  rough  wooden  pin  that  served  for  a  cruel 
seat,  and  His  forearms  tied  to  the  transverse  beam  ;  then  one 
o>f  the  soldiers  adjusted  the  right  hand  to  the  center  of  the 
beam,  placed  the  point  of  a  huge  nail  in  the  palm,  and  with 
many  cruel  strokes  drove  it  to  the  head.  He  then  passed  to 
the  other  side,  and  nailed  the  left  hand  in  the  same  manner. 
Then  His  knees  were  drawn  up,  until  the  soles  of  the  feet 
rested  flat  on  the  tree  (for  such  I  believe  it  was),  and  a  large 
rvail  driven  through  each  of  them.  It  was  about  this  time 
Jesus  prayed  for  the  wicked  wretches  who  were  crucifying 
Him:  "  Father,  forgive  them  ;  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do."  If  they  had  known,  they  would  not  have  struck  a 
blow  —  "  they  would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory  '* 
(I.  Cor.  ii.  8).  One  more  cruelty,  and  Jesus  will  be  crucified. 
One  of  the  soldiers  ascends  a  ladder,  placed  behind  the 
cross,  and  nails  the  title-board  on  the  upright  post  above 


100  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

Jesus'  head,  sending  hundreds  of  pangs  through  as  many- 
quivering  nerves.     Jesus  is  crucified. 

Pilate,  by  this  inscription,  stung  the  Jews  as  deep  as  his 
venom  could  reach  ;  for  he  had  published  in  the  three  great 
languages  of  the  world,  and  to  all  peoples  of  the  world,  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  King  of  the  Jews,  and  that  they 
had  crucified  Him.  The  Sanhedrists  petition  Pilate  to 
change  the  title,  but  he  said  as  much  as  to  say  to  them, 
•*  You  made  me  take  back  my  spoken  words  concerning 
crucifying  Jesus,  but  you  can  not  make  me  go  back  on  my 
written  words.     What  I  have  written  I  will  not  change." 

The  next  fearful  event  was  the  crucifixion  of  the  robbers^ 
which  took  place  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of  Jesus,  with 
the  exception  that  the  inscription-boards  do  not  seem  to  have 
been  nailed  to  their  crosses. 


ON    SECTIONS   XXIX.    AND   XXX. 

•'The  cross  was  high  enough  if  the  feet  of  the  delinquent 
did  not  touch  the  ground ;  the  wood  was  not  to  be  wasted, 
and  it  had  to  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  condemned  must  be 
able  himself  to  carry  the  transverse  beam  of  his  cross.  Thus, 
at  Jesus'  crucifixion,  it  is  assumed  that  He  was  raised  at  most 
only  one  or  two  feet  above  the  ground,  so  that  a  short  hyssop 
stalk  would  suffice  to  carry  the  vinegar  sponge  to  His  mouth. 
The  wood  chosen  was  that  which  could  be  most  easily  ob- 
tained, and  the  beams  were  shaped  roughly  ;  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Jerusalem,  olive-wood  would  most  probably  be  em- 
ployed. .  .  .  As  a  rule,  the  upright  part  of  the  cross, 
•without  the  transverse  beam,  was  set  up  before  the  con- 
demned was  fastened  to  it.  It  very  seldom  occurred  that 
the  condemned  was  crucified  upon  the  wood  as  it  lay  on  the 
ground,  to  be  afterwards  set  up.     The  malefactor  was  stripped 


Section  XXX.  loi 

naked  by  the  executioners,  and  then  attached  by  the  soldiers 
to  the  transverse  part  of  the  cross,  which  might  consist  of 
cither  one  or  two  pieces  of  wood."  (Keim's  Jesus  of  Naz- 
ara,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  144.) 

See  also  the  article  on  "  Crucifixion,"  in  Historical  Ap- 
pendix. 

In  another  place  Keim  says:  "  Polycarp  stripped  himself 
entirely  (Eus.  IV.  15)."  '•  Among  the  Jews,  there  was  a 
certain  amount  of  covering."  "  Athan,  Ambrose,  Origen, 
speak  of  perfect  nudity." 

On  the  unclothing  of  Jesus,  see  Friedlieb,  143.  *<  Apulius 
has  the  striking  comparison  :  naked  as  a  new-born  babe,  or 
as  the  crucified." 

"There  was  a  twofold  manner  of  crucifixion.  Either  the 
condemned  were  lifted  up  to  the  cross,  already  erected,  or 
they  were  fastened  to  in  while  it  was  on  the  ground ;  the 
former  manner  seems  to  have  been  the  more  usual."  (Fried- 
lieb, 142).  "  It  was  much  more  common  first  to  erect  the 
cross,  and  then  to  set  the  condemned  on  the  small  projecting 
bar,  and  proceed  with  the  fixing  to  the  cross."  (Lange's 
Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV,,  p.  386.)  The  seat  of  the  cross  is 
specially  mentioned  on  p.  381.  Bynaeus  calls  the  seat  "  the 
sedile  of  the  cross." 

Andrews  is  of  the  opinion  that  persons  to  be  crucified  were 
nailed  to  the  crosses  after  they  were  planted  in  the  ground 
(P-  535). 

"  The  cross-pieces  were  nailed  in  their  places  on  the  up- 
right posts,  sometimes  before,  sometimes  after,  the  posts 
themselves  had  been  set  up."  (Dr.  Geikie,  Vol.  II.,  p.  562.) 
See  also  p.  643,  where  several  writers  are  quoted  as  believing 
that  the  crucified  were  stripped  entirely  nude. 


102  The  Trials  of  Christ. 


SECTION  XXXL— JESUS'  ^GARMENTS. 

23  "The  soldiers,  therefore,  when  they  had 
crucified  Jesus,  took  His  garments,  and  made 
four  parts,  to  every  soldier  a  part,  and  also  the 
coat :  now  the  coat  was  without  seam,  woven 
from  the  top  throughout. 

24  '  *  They  said  therefore  one  to  another.  Let 
us  not  rend  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it,  whose  it  shall 
be :  that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  which 
saith.  They  parted  my  garments  among  them, 
and  upon  my  vesture  did  they  cast  lots.  These 
things  therefore  the  soldiers  did  "  (John  xix.) 

36  "And  sitting  down,  they  watched  Him 
there  "  (Matt,  xxvii.,  A.  V.). 

ON    SECTION   XXXI. 

Jesus'  garments  consisted  of  five  parts :  a  sudar,  or  head- 
dress ;  a  tunic,  or  seamless  coat,  worn  next  to  the  body  ;  a 
tallith,  or  cloak  worn  over  the  tunic ;  a  girdle,  fastened  round 
the  waist,  and  sandals.  The  Roman  military  law  appointed 
four  soldiers  to  execute  criminals.  Each  of  the  four  who 
crucified  the  Savior  took  a  garment ;  one  the  sudar,  one  the 
tallith,  one  the  girdle,  and  the  other  the  sandals.  Then  they 
cast  lots  for  the  tunic,  or  seamless  coat,  which  probably  was. 
given  to  the  centurion. 


Section  XX XL  103 

The  garments  of  the  crucified  belonged,  according  to 
Roman  custom,  to  the  executioners.  Keim  says,  in  after 
times  it  was  not  so.  The  soldiers'  act  of  taking  Jesus'  gar- 
ments was  not  a  cruelty,  but  a  privilege.  Their  sitting  down 
and  watching  Jesus  was  not  an  intended  cruelty,  but  a 
bounden  duty.  In  the  following  quotations,  I  give  the 
reader  the  best  description  of  Jesus  dress  known  to  me  : 

"On  His  head,  held  in  its  place  by  a  cord,  He  wore  a 
white  sudar,  the  ends  of  which  hung  down  His  shoulders. 
Over  His  tunic,  which  reached  to  the  hands  and  feet,  was  a 
blue  tallith,  with  the  prescribed  tassels  at  the  four  corners, 
but  only  as  large  as  Moses  required.  It  was  so  thrown  over 
Him,  and  so  held  together,  that  the  gray,  red-striped  under- 
garment (tunic)  was  little  seen,  and  His  feet,  which  had 
sandals,  not  shoes,  were  only  noticed  occasionally  when  He 
moved."     (Geikie,  Vol.  II.,  p.  135.) 

"There  is,  indeed,  great  reason  for  the  belief  of  some  that 
Jesus  and  His  followers  differed,  alike  in  dress,  demeanor, 
mode  of  life,  and  customs,  from  the  teachers  of  the  day  and 
their  followers.  The  simple  tunic  and  upper-garment  may 
have  had  the  tallith  worn  by  all  other  Jews,  but  we  may  be 
certain  that  the  tassels  at  its  corners  were  in  contrast  to  the 
huge,  ostentatious  size  affected  by  the  rabbis.  Nor  can  we 
imagine  that  either  Jesus  or  the  twelve  sanctioned  by  their 
use  the  superstitious  leathern  phylacteries,  which  others 
bound,  with  long  fillets,  on  their  left  arm  and  their  forehead 
at  prayers."    (Geikie,  Vol.  II.,  p.  128.) 

'*  He  does  not  wear  the  white  ephod  of  the  Levite,  or  the 
sweeping  robes  of  the  scribe.  There  are  not,  on  His  arm 
and  forehead,  the  tephillin  and  phylacteries,  which  the 
Pharisees  make  so  broad ;  and  though  there  is  at  each  corner 
of  His  dress  the  fringe  and  blue  ribbon  which  the  Law 
enjoins,  it  is  not  worn  of  the  ostentatious  size  affected  by 
those   who  wished    to   parade    the    scrupulousness   of    their 


104  1^^^   Trials  of  Christ. 

obedience.  He  is  in  the  ordinary  dress  of  His  time  and 
country.  He  is  not  bare-headed,  as  painters  usually  repre- 
sent Him ;  for  to  move  about  bareheaded  in  the  Syrian  sun- 
light is  impossible  ;  but  a  white  keffiyeh,  such  as  is  worn  to 
this  day,  covers  His  hair,  fastened  by  an  aghal  or  fillet  round 
the  top  of  the  head,  and  falling  back  over  the  neck  and 
shoulders.  A  large  blue  outer  robe,  or  tallith,  pure  and 
clean,  but  of  the  simplest  materials,  covers  His  entire  person, 
and  only  shows  occasional  glimpses  of  the  ketoneth,  a  seam- 
less woolen  tunic  of  the  ordinary  striped  texture  so  common 
in  the  East,  which  is  confined  by  a  girdle  round  the  waist, 
and  which  clothes  Him  from  the  neck  almost  down  to  the 
sandaled  feet." 

'*  By  the  Law  ■■•  of  Moses,  every  Jew  was  to  wear  at  each 
corner  of  his  tallith  a  fringe  or  tassel,  bound  by  a  ribbon  of 
symbolic  blue,  to  remind  him  that  he  was  holy  to  God.  Two 
of  these  fringes  usually  hung  down  at  the  bottom  of  the 
robe ;  one  hung  over  the  shoulder,  where  the  robe  was 
folded  round  the   person."     (Farrar,  Vol.   I.,  pp.  311,  312, 

355-) 

"After  they  had  finished  their  work,  they  shared  among 
them  His  clothes,  which  by  Roman  right  fell  to  their  lot.  Of 
the  upper-garment  they  probably  made  four  parts,  loosening 


=•=  37  "  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying, 

38  "  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  and  bid  them  that  they  make 
them  fringes  in  the  borders  of  their  garments,  throughout  their  genera- 
tions, and  that  they  put  upon  the  fringe  of  the  borders  a  ribband  of 
blue: 

39  "  And  it  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  fringe,  that  ye  may  look  upon  it, 
and  remember  all  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  and  do  them;  and 
that  ye  seek  not  after  your  own  heart  and  your  own  eyes,  after  which 
ye  used  to  go  a  whoring, 

40  "That  ye  may  remember,  and  do  all  my  commandments,  and  be 
holy  unto  your  God  "  (Num.  xv.  37-40.) 

12  "  Thou  shalt  make  thee  fringes  upon  the  four  quarters  of  thy 
vesture,  wherewith  thou  coverest  thyself"  (Deut.  xxii.  12), 


Section  XXXI.  105 

the  seams.  But  the  under-garment  (tunic)  could  not  thus  be 
unsewn  because  it  was  without  seam — worked  in  one  piece — 
a  kind  of  dress  which  resembled  the  priestly  garment,  as  it 
must  have  been  in  use,  however,  among  the  poor  Galileans. 
.  .  .  In  thus  casting  lots  upon  the  vesture  of  Christ,  the 
amusement  of  the  soldiers  took  the  character  of  a  game  at 
dice."     (Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  390,  391.) 

In  speaking  of  Jesus'  dress,  Keim  says  :  "In  fact,  the 
general  appearance,  demeanor,  style  of  life,  and  habits,  were 
such  as  had  never  been  heard  of  in  Israel  for  a  teacher  and  a 
school.  To  the  dress-mantle  and  under-garment  were  want- 
ing the  four  enormously  large  tassels  of  the  scribes,  the 
ridiculous  symbols  of  their  extraordinary  observance  of  the 
Divine  commands ;  on  the  forehead  and  the  arm  failed  alto- 
gether the  superstitious  and  truly  leathern  phylacteries,  and 
to  the  head  unnecessary,  slovenly,  and  affected  roughness  by 
which  Pharisees,  Essenes,  and  the  disciples  of  John  made 
themselves  conspicuous.  .  .  .  Jesus  spoke  approvingly  of 
the  Baptist  for  having  allowed  nothing  effeminate  in  dress  or 
habit ;  He  made  it  a  part  of  His  own  condition  of  life  not  to 
have  where  to  lay  His  head ;  and  He  enjoined  upon  His 
apostles  the  simplest  apparel  and  equipments.  Therefore,  it 
is  not  to  be  supposed  that  He  wore  a  costly  coat  like  that  of 
the  high-priests,  but  most  likely  one  given  Him  by  the 
women."     (Keim's  Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol.  L,  pp.  343,  344.) 

See  also  Friedlieb,  149  ;  Sepp,  III.,  552  ;  Strauss'  New  Life 
of  Jesus,  English  translation.  Vol.  II.,  p.  371. 


io6  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

SECTIONS  XXXII. ,  XXXIII,  XXXI V,— 
THE  MOCKERY  AT  THE  CROSS. 

BY   THE    MULTITUDE. 

39  "And  they  that  passed  by  railed  at  Him, 
wagging  their  heads, 

40  ''And  saying,  Thou  that  destroyest  the 
temple,  and  buildest  it  in  three  days,  save  Thy- 
self: if  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  come  down 
from  the  cross"  (Matt,  xxvii.). 

BY    SANHEDRISTS    AND    THE   ROBBERS. 

41  "In  like  manner  also  the  chief  priests 
mocking  Him,  with  the  scribes  and  elders,  said, 

42  "  He  saved  others  ;  Himself  He  can  not 
save.  He  is  the  King  of  Israel  ;  let  Him  now 
come  down  from  the  cross,  and  we  will  believe 
on  Him. 

44  "He  trusteth  on  God;  let  Him  deliver 
Him  now,  if  He  desireth  Him  :  for  He  said,  I 
am  the  Son  of  God. 

44  "  And  the  robbers  also  that  were  crucified 
with  Him  cast  upon  Him  the  same  reproach  " 
(Matt,  xvii.,  R.  V.) 


Section  XXXV.  107 

BY  THE   ROMAlSf    SOLDIERS. 

36  "  And    the  soldiers  also   mocked    Him, 
coming  to  Him,  offering  Him  vinegar, 

37  "And  saying,  If  Thou   be  the  King  of 
the  Jews,  save  Thyself"  (Luke  xxiii.,  A.  V.). 

ON    SECTIONS    XXXII. ,   XXXIII.,   XXXIV. 

In  the  foregoing  Scripture  statements,  Jesus  is  taunted  with 
having  said  He  was  able  to  destroy  the  Jerusalem  temple, 
with  claiming  to  be  the  Son  of  God  and  King  of  Israel.  la 
this  nefarious  wickedness,  the  robbers  joined  for  a  time  ;  but 
one  soon  repented  ;  see  Section  XXXV.  This  view  harmo- 
nizes the  statement  of  Matthew  with  that  of  Luke  concerning 
the  mockery  by  the  robbers. 

"Offering  Him  Vinegar." — Jesus  was  offered  vinegar 
three  times:  first,  on  arriving  at  Calvary  (Matt,  and  Mark)  ; 
secondly,  soon  after  He  was  nailed  to  the  cross  (Luke  only) ; 
and  lastly,  just  before  His  death  (Matt.,  Mark  and  John). 


SECTION  XXXV.  — THE  DYING 
ROBBERS. 

39  And  one  of  the  malefactors  which  were 
hanged  railed  on  Him,  saying.  Art  not  Thou 
the  Christ  ?  save  Thyself  and  us. 


io8  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

40  But  the  other  answered,  and  rebuking  him 
said,  Dost  thou  not  even  fear  God,  seeing  Thou 
art  in  the  same  condemnation  ? 

41  And  we  indeed,  justly  ;  for  we  receive  the 
•due  reward  of  our  deeds :  but  this  Man  hath 
done  nothing  amiss. 

42  And  he  said,  Jesus,  remember  me  when 
Thou  comest  in  Thy  kingdom. 

43  And   He   said    unto   him.  Verily   I   say 

XJNTO  THEE,   TO-DAY  SHALT  THOU  BE  WITH    Me  IN 

PARADISE  (Luke  xxiii.,  R.  V.). 

ON    SECTION    XXXV. 

I  assume  that  the  robbers  faced  the  west,  that  Jesus  faced 
the  east,  in  order  that  He  might  face  the  malefactors,  and  the 
temple  He  was  accused  of  threatening  to  destroy.  This 
position  is  well  adapted  to  account  for  the  conversation  that 
passed  between  the  robbers  and  the  Savior.  In  this  case, 
they  looked  Jesus  in  the  face  when  they  mocked  Him  ;  and 
the  penitent  one  also  looked  Him  in  the  face,  when  he  cried, 
*' Jesus,  remember  me  when  Thou  comest  in  Thy  kingdom." 
This  position  also  seems  to  be  the  true  one,  when  we  consider 
that  the  inscription  on  Jesus'  cross  faced  the  city ;  and  that 
when  the  soldiers  went  to  break  the  limbs  of  all,  they  came 
to  the  thieves  first,  and  last  to  Jesus. 

For  a  chronological  arrangemeut  of  the  Savior's  utterances 
•on  the  cross,  see  notes  on  Section  XL. 


Section  XXXVI.  lo^ 

SECTION  XXXVL  —  THE  LAST  WORDS 
TO  HIS  MOTHER  AND  TO  JOHN 

25  But  there  were  standing  by  the  cross  of 
Jesus  His  mother,  and  His  mother's  sister, 
Mary  the  wife  of  Clophas,  and  Mary  Magda- 
lene. 

26  When  Jesus  therefore  saw  His  mother, 
and  the  disciple  standing  by,  whom  He  loved, 
He  saith  unto   His    mother,   Woman,   behold 

THY  SON  ! 

27  Then  saith  He  to  the  disciple.  Behold 
THY  MOTHER  !  And  from  that  hour  the  disciple 
took  her  to  his  own  home  (John  xix.). 

ON    SECTION    XXXVL 

In  the  above  section,  we  have,  on  the  human  side,  one  of 
the  most  touching  incidents  connected  with  the  death  of  the 
dear  Redeemer.  The  writer  fittingly  and  humbly  keeps  in 
the  background  until  the  nature  of  the  narrative  forces  him 
to  speak  at  least  indirectly  of  himself.  Hard  by  the  circle 
formed  around  the  crosses,  there  stood  a  small,  but  devoted, 
group  —  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus ;  Salome,  the  mother  of 
the  *'  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  ;  "  Mary,  the  wife  of  Clo- 
phas ;  Mary  Magdalene,  out  of  whom  He  had  cast  seven 
devils;  and  John,  the  sweet-spirited  and  most  devoted  fol- 
lower, whom,  of  all  the  well  beloved  apostles,  Jesus  loved 
the  best.     This  apostle,  who  leaned  on  Jesus'  bosom  at  the 


no  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

Paschal  Supper,  at  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  stood  nearest  to 
Him  during  the  long  and  shameful  trials  —  this  disciple,  as 
love's  last  act,  leads  four  holy,  weeping,  broken-hearted 
women  to  Calvary,  to  witness  the  dying  agonies  of  their 
Lord,  his  Master. 

In  that  little  group  weepingly  stood  a^  woman  with  a 
bruised,  broken,  bleeding  heart  —  the  mother  of  the  human 
nature  of  the  Divine  Son  who  hung  bleeding  on  the  cross 
before  her.  There  were  earthly  and  fleshly  relations  between 
that  holy  group  and  the  Divine  Man,  that  all  the  powers  of 
hell  and  pains  of  Calvary  could  not  induce  the  blessed 
Savior  to  overlook.  Although  death  is  piercing  His  soul 
from  every  side,  the  powers  of  darkness  gathering  thick  and 
fast  about  Him,  His  soul  making  an  atonement  for  the  sins 
of  the  world  ;  yet,  notwithstanding  all,  when  He  sees  His 
mother  on  bended  knees,  wringing  her  hands  and  weeping — 
weeping  as  only  heaven's  favored  mother,  the  mother  of  the 
Divine  Son,  could  weep  —  then  for  a  moment  He  fixed  His 
gaze  on  her  who  had  cradled  Him  in  Bethlehem's  manger, 
and  said  as  the  parting  words  to  her,  **  Woman,  behold  thy 
son!  "  And  then  to  John,  who  stood  by  her,  "Behold  thy 
mother ! "  Then  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  took  the 
weeping,  faintirtg  Mary  to  his  own  home,  and  speedily  re- 
turned to  the  cross,  to  see  the  Savior  close  His  eyes  in  death. 
So  far  as  we  know,  he  is  the  only  apostle  who  did  witness  the 
closing  moments  of  the  Savior's  agonies.  **  Looking  up  to 
Him,  John  saw  the  light  of  higher  than  earthly  victory  on 
His  pale  features,  and  felt  his  faith  confirmed  forever " 
(Geikie). 


Section  XXX VII I.  iii 

SECTION  XXXVIL—- DARKNESS  AT 
NOONDAY. 

33  "And  when  the  sixth  hour  was  come, 
there  was  darkness  over  the  whole  land  until 
the  ninth  hour  "  (Mark  xv.,  A.  V.). 

45  "And  the  sun  was  darkened"  (Luke 
xxiii.,  A.  v.). 

ON    SECTION   XXXVII. 

All  the  events  of  the  crucifixion  recorded  in  Sections 
XXX.  to  XXXVI.  occurred  between  the  hours  of  nine  and 
twelve  o'clock.  At  high  noon,  God  drew  a  great  black  vail 
over  the  face  of  the  sun,  sent  the  hush  of  heaven  on  the 
hellish  mockery  at  the  cross,  and  clothed  all  nature  in 
mourning ;  whilst  His  well  beloved  Son  was  enduring  a 
man-forsakenness,  and,  in  some  mysterious  sense,  a  God-for- 
sakenness. ( For  eulogy  on  Pontius  Pilate,  see  Historical 
Appendix.) 


SECTION  XXXVIII  ^  THE   CRY  OF 
SEEMING  GOD- FORSAKENNESS. 

34  And  at  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,    saying,    Eloi,    Eloi,    lama   sabach- 


112  TJte  Trials  of  Christ. 

thani  ?  which  is,  being  interpreted,  My  God, 
My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  (Mark 
XV.,  A.  V.) 


SECTION  XXXIX.  — THE    THIRST  OF 
JESUS. 

28  "After  this,  Jesus,  knowing  that  all 
things  are  now  finished,  that  the  scripture 
might  be  accomplished,  saith,  I  thirst. 

29  *  *  There  was  set  there  a  vessel  full  of 
vinegar  ;  so  they  put  a  sponge  full  of  the  vin- 
egar upon  hyssop,  and  brought  it  to  His 
mouth  "  (John  xix.). 

49  **  And  the  rest  said.  Let  be;  let  us  see 
whether  Elijah  cometh  to  save  Him  "  (Matt, 
xxvii.). 


SECTION  XL.— THE  DEATH  OF  JESUS 

30  *'  When  Jesus  therefore  had  received  the 
vinegar  "  (John  xix.),  **  He  cried  again  with  a 
loud  voice  "  (Matt,  xxvii.  50,   A.  V.),  "  It  is 


Section  XL.  113 

finished:  and   He  bowed  His  head  and  gave 
up  His  spirit  "  (John  xix.). 

46  ''  And  when  Jesus  had  cried  with  a  loud 
voice,  He  said,  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  com- 
mend My  spirit :  and  having  said  this,  He  gave 
up  the  ghost "  (Luke  xxiii.,  A.  V.). 

ON    SECTIONS   XXXVIII.,   XXXIX.,   XL. 

The  Savior's  utterances  on  the  cross  occurred  in  the  fol- 
lowing order,  viz.  : 

1.  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do 
(Luke,  Section  XXX.) 

2.  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  Me  in  paradise  (Luke,  Sec- 
tion XXXV.) 

3.  Woman,  behold  thy  son  (John,  Section^XXXVL) 

4.  Behold  thy  mother  (John,  Section  XXXVI.) 

5.  Eloi,  Eloi,  etc.  (Matt.,  Mark,  Section  XXXVIII.) 

6.  I  thirst  (John,  Section  XXXIX.) 

7.  It  is  finished  (John,  Section  XL.) 

8.  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  My  spirit  (Luke, 
Section  XL.) 

The  first  four  utterances  occurred  between  the  hours  of 
nine  and  twelve  o'clock  ;  the  last  four  within  the  first  fifteen 
minutes  after  three  o'clock  P.  M. 

This  work  is  not  to  contain  any  theological  views ;  there- 
fore, I  pass  this  tremendous  subject,  comparatively  sileat. 

Keim  on  the  Death  of  Jesus.— In  speaking  of  the  won- 
derful sufferings  of  Jesus  on  the  cross,  Keim  says  :  "In  all 
this  feverishness,  in  all  this  sense  of  oppression,  in  all  this 
exhaustion,  perhaps  no  protection  from  the  sky  and  nothing 
from  men   except  the  continuous  scorn  and  the  once-given 


1 14  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

vinegar-water.  .  .  .  God  be  praised,  He  was  no  super- 
human prodigy,  He  was  a  raan ;  and  in  the  terrible  catas- 
trophe He  was  no  intemperate  enthusiast ;  He  was  a  sage. 
Not  merely  a  sage,  He  was  a  sage  even  in  His  silence,  and 
because  He  kept  silence.  .  .  .  Yet  not  for  a  moment 
could  the  death  of  the  Messiah  be  allowed  to  appear  as  the 
death  of  an  ordinary  man,  of  a  criminal.  If  men  did  not 
shudder  at  and  mourn  over  the  terrible  deed  committed 
under  the  sanction  of  the  common  practice,  then  God  must 
mourn;  and  He  must  not  merely  mourn  over  an  occurrence 
which  He  had  in  fact  Himself  ordained,  but  He  must  at  the 
same  time  bring  the  victorious  fruit  of  this  sanguinary  work 
under  the  eyes  of  men. 

"That  to  the  end  He  was  silent  in  His  agony  before  His 
judges  and  His  revilers,  and  that  He  silently  accepted  His 
terrible,  divinely-appointed  destiny,  is  the  sign  of  a  royal 
Man  who,  in  spite  of  the  harshness  and  the  cruel  contradic- 
tion of  His  fate,  was  strong  to  walk  in  that  way  which  His 
mind  and  will  had  long  since  acknowledged  to  be  inevitable, 
a  severe  but  wise  dispensation  of  God.  He  could  complain, 
but  that  would  be  to  murmur ;  He  could  censure,  but  that 
would  not  be  to  sacrifice  Himself;  He  could  recant  and 
descend  from  the  cross,  but  that  would  be  to  repudiate  His 
Messiahship.  He  suffered,  and,  though  it  was  against  nature, 
yet  it  was  His  vocation  to  do  so.  He  suffered,  believing  that 
God  willed  it,  purposing  to  atone  by  His  blood,  sure  of 
giving  to  His  own  the  last  promised  farewell  gift,  hoping  that 
it  was  only  His  body,  and  not  His  soul,  which  He  was  sacri- 
ficing, but  that  He  would  ascend  from  His  cross  to  the 
heaven  of  God,  to  the  final  Messiahship.  This  is  the  golden 
substance  of  His  silence,  the  golden  sermon  without  words. 

"  It  was  God's  will  to  make  the  Hero  of  our  faith  spirit- 
ually and   morally  perfect,  and   to  bind  mankind  forever  to 


Section  XLL  ii5 

His  person  by  repentance  and  love.     Therefore  God  deliv- 
ered Him  up,  and  forbade  angels  and  men  to  save  Him  from 

the  cross.     .     .     • 

"  But  such  a  combination  of  conviction,  performance,  voca- 
tion and  destiny  had  never  occurred.  In  His  unfathomable 
profundity,  the  Man  of  idealism  stands  on  the  height  of  His 
Messiahship  without  a  parallel  in  word  and  deed ;  and  man. 
kind  loves  Him  who  thus  died  for  it,  and  thanks  Pilate  that, 
instead  of  contemptuously  acquitting  Jesus,  or  procuring  for 
Him  a  private  death  within  the  walls  of  Cassarea,  he  per- 
mitted Him  to  die  publicly  in  the  presence  of  the  people, 
apparently  so  dishonorably,  but  in  reality  so  grandly.    .     .    . 

"  Verily,  nowhere  in  the  world's  history  does  the  enigma  of 
Providence  stand  before  us  in  such  gigantic  proportions  as  in 
the  Divine  permission  of  the  cruel  death  of  the  Man  at 
whose  hands  God  received  back  His  world  — His  human 
race."     (Jesus  of  Nazara,  pp.  163,  170,  164,  165,  166.) 


SECTION  XLL^MIRACLES  AT  JESUS' 
DEATH. 

5 1  And,  behold,  the  veil  of  the  temple  was 
rent  in  twain  from  the  top  to  the  bottom ; 
and  the  earth  did  quake,  and  the  rocks  rent ; 

52  And  the  graves  were  opened;  and  many- 
bodies  of  the  saints  which  slept  arose, 


ii6  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

53  And  came  out  of  the  graves  after  His 
resurrection,  and  went  into  the  holy  city,  and 
appeared  unto  many  (Matt,  xxvii.,  A.  V.) 


ON    SECTION    XLI. 

*'  According  to  Matthew's  order  of  events,  many  of  the 
graves  of  the  saints  flew  open  when  the  Savior  died,  aud  left 
their  bodies  exposed  to  the  bleaching  sun,  and  to  the  curious 
gaze  of  the  ten  thousand  passers-by,  from  His  death  until 
after  His  resurrection  (xxvii.  50-53).  There  has  evidently 
been,  on  the  part  of  some  one,  a  bad  handling  of  this  part  of 
Matthew's  Gospel.  The  saints  evidently  rose  from  death 
immediately  after  Christ's  resurrection.  Therefore,  Matt, 
xxvii.  52,  53,  should  stand  immediately  after  xxviii.  4." 
(Stout's  Chronology  of  Christ's  Life,  p.  387.) 


SECTION  XLI L  — THE  CONSCIENCE- 
SMITTEN  DEICIDES. 

54  **  Now  the  centurion  and  they  that  were 
with  him  watching  Jesus,  when  they  saw  the 
earth  quake,  and  the  things  that  were  done, 
feared  exceedingly,  saying.  Truly,  this  was  the 
Son  of  God  "  (Matt,  xxvii.). 


Section  XLIIL  117 

48  **And  all  the  multitudes  that  came  to- 
gether to  this  sight,  when  they  beheld  the 
things  that  were  done,  returned  smiting  their 
breasts  "  (Luke  xxiii.) 

ON    SECTION    XLII. 

At  the  close  of  the  deicidal  work,  Almighty  God  gave  the 
soldiers  and  the  multitude  a  partial  realization  of  the  fact 
that  they  had  imbrued  their  hands  in  the  holy  blood  of  His 
only  begotten  Son  ;  and  they  returned,  smiting  their  breasts, 
while  their  consciences  accused  them  of  having  crucified 
God. 


SECTION    XLIIL  — PIERCING    JESUS' 
SIDE. 

31  The  Jews  therefore,  because  it  was  the 
preparation,  that  the  bodies  should  not  remain 
on  the  cross  upon  the  sabbath  (for  the  day  of 
that  sabbath  was  a  high  day),  asked  of  Pilate 
that  their  legs  might  be  broken,  and  that  they 
might  be  taken  away. 

32  The  soldiers  therefore  came,  and  brake 
the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  which  was 
crucified  with  Him : 


ii8  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

33  But  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  and  saw 
that  He  was  dead  already,  they  brake  not  His 
legs. 

34  Howbeit  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear 
pierced  His  side,  and  straightway  there  came 
out  blood  and  water. 

35  And  he  that  hath  seen  hath  borne  witness, 
and  his  witness  is  true :  and  he  knoweth  that 
he  saith  true,  that  ye  also  may  believe. 

36  For  these  things  came  to  pass,  that  the 
scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  A  bone  of  Him 
shall  not  be  broken  (Ex.  xii.  46). 

37  And  again  another  scripture  saith,  They 
shall  look  on  Him  whom  they  pierced  (John 
xix.;  Zech.  xii.  10). 

ON    SECTION    XLIII. 

In  the  notes  on  Section  XXXV.,  we  assumed  that  Jesus 
was  made  to  face  the  thieves,  and  the  temple ;  and  by  this 
position  we  can  readily  see  how  the  soldiers  came  to  break 
the  legs  of  the  robbers,  before  attempting  to  break  the  legs 
of  the  Savior.  They  were  keeping  guard  in  front  of  Jesus, 
with  the  robbers  between  them  and  Him ;  and,  therefore, 
not  by  choice,  but  by  circumstance,  they  approached  the 
robbers  first.  If  their  positions  had  been  reversed,  the 
Savior's  side  would  have  been  pierced  first. 

The  Savior's  side  was  not  pierced  by  an  upward  and  gentle 
touch  of  a  narrow  Roman  spear ;  but  by  a  fearful  thrust, 
made  almost  on  a  level,  with  both  hands,  by  a  very  wide 


Section  XLIIL  119 

spear.  That  the  gash  was  very  large,  is  evident  from  the 
Redeemer's  language  to  the  chronic  doubter:  "Thomas,! 
perceive  that  thou  dost  not  believe  I  am  raised  from  the 
grave.  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  Thomas ;  now  thrust  it 
deep  into  this  nail-hole  in  My  hand.  This,  Thomas,  is 
the  print  of  one  of  the  nails  that  was  driven  through  my 
hands  on  the  cross."  Then  He  made  bare  His  side,  and 
said:  "Thomas,  reach  hither  thy  hand;  now  thrust  thy 
whole  hand  deep  into  My  side,  and  be  not  faithless,  but 
believing."  He  began  to  make  the  thrust,  but  was  awe- 
stricken,  and  paralyzed  by  faith,  so  that  he  started  backward, 
threw  up  his  hands,  and  exclaimed  :  "  My  Lord  and  my 
God  !  "     He  was  cured. 

A  critical  and  chronological  survey  of  the  physical  and 
mental  sufferings  of  the  Savior,  from  the  time  He  entered 
Gethsemane  until  He  reached  Calvary,  considered  in  connec- 
tion with  the  excruciating  pains  of  the  cross,  make  a  suffi- 
cient explanation  as  to  His  early  death.  We  need  no  miracle 
to  explain  why  He  died  so  soon  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  we 
almost  need  a  miracle  to  explain  how  He  endured  so  much 
before  dying. 


HISTORICAL  APPENDIX. 


ANNAS. 

Annas  was  a  Sadducee,  and  was  appointed  high-priest  by 
Quirinius,  Governor  of  Syria.  He  held  the  office  from  A.  D. 
7  to  A.  D.  14,  when  he  was  deposed  by  Valerius  Gratus,  Proc- 
urator of  Judaea.  "The  conjunction  of  the  two  names  of 
Annas  and  Caiaphas  probably  indicated  that,  although  Annas 
was  deprived  of  the  pontificate,  he  still  continued  to  preside 
over  the  Sanhedrin — a  conclusion  not  only  borne  out  by  Acts 
iv.  6,  where  Annas  appears  as  the  actual  president,  and  by 
the  terms  in  which  Caiaphas  is  spoken  of  as  merely  one  of 
them,  but  by  the  part  which  Annas  took  in  the  final  condem- 
nation of  Jesus"  (Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  Edersheim,  Vol. 
I.,  p.  264).  **No  figure  is  better  known  in  contemporary 
Jewish  history  than  that  of  Annas ;  no  person  deemed  more 
fortunate  or  successful,  but  none  also  more  generally  execra- 
ted than  the  high-priest.  He  had  held  the  pontificate  for 
only  six  or  seven  years;  but  it  was  filled  by  not  fewer  than 
five  of  his  sons,  by  his  son-in-law,  and  by  a  grandson.  He 
enjoyed  all  the  dignity  of  the  office,  and  all  its  influence  also, 
since  he  was  able  to  promote  to  it  those  most  closely  connect- 
ed with  him.  And,  while  they  acted  publicly,  he  really  di- 
rected affairs,  without  either  the  responsibility  or  the  re- 
straints which  the  office  imposed.  His  influence  with  the 
Romans  he  owed  to  the  religious  views  which  he  professed, 
to  his  open  partisanship  with  the  foreigner,  and  to  his  enor- 


122  Trials  of  Christ. 

mous  wealth.  The  Sadducean  Annas  was  an  eminently  safe 
churchman,  not  troubled  with  any  special  convictions,  nor 
with  Jewish  fanaticism,  a  pleasant  and  a  useful  man  also,  who 
was  able  to  furnish  his  friends  within  the  Praetorium  with 
large  sums  of  money.  We  have  seen  what  immense  revenues 
the  family  of  Annas  must  have  derived  from  the  Temple- 
booths,  and  how  nefarious  and  unpopular  the  traffic  was. 
The  names  of  those  bold,  licentious,  unscrupulous,  degenerate 
sons  of  Aaron  were  spoken  with  whispered  curses.  Without 
referring  to  Christ's  interference  with  that  Temple-traffic, 
which,  if  his  authority  had  prevailed,  would  of  course  have 
been  fatal  to  it,  we  can  understand  how  antithetic  in  every 
respect  a  Messiah,  and  such  a  Messiah  as  Jesus,  must  have 
been  to  Annas,  He  was  as  resolutely  bent  on  His  death  as 
his  son-in-law,  though  with  his  characteristic  cunning  and 
coolness,  not  in  the  hasty,  bluff  manner  of  Caiaphas"  (Eder- 
sheim,  Vol.  II.,  p.  547). 

"Avarice,  the  besetting  sin  of  Judas  —  the  besetting  sin  of 
the  Jewish  race  —  seems  to  have  been  the  besetting  sin  of  the 
family  of  Hanan"  (Annas).  "It  was  they  who  had  founded 
the  famous  four  shops  under  the  twin  cedars  of  Olivet  —  in 
which  were  sold  things  legally  pure,  and  which  they  had 
manipulated  with  such  commercial  cunning  as  artificially  to 
raise  the  prices  of  doves  to  a  gold  coin  apiece,  until  the  peo- 
ple were  delivered  from  this  gross  imposition  by  the  indig- 
nant interference  of  a  grandson  of  Hillel.  There  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  shops  which  had  intruded  even  un- 
der the  temple  porticoes  were  not  only  sanctioned  by  their 
authority,  but  even  managed  for  their  profit.  To  interfere 
with  these,  was  to  rob  them  of  one  important  source  of  that 
wealth  and  worldly  comfort  to  which  they  attached  such  ex- 
travagant importance.  There  was  good  reason  why  Hanan, 
the  head  representative  of  the  viper  brood,  as  a  Talmudic 
author  calls  them,  should  strain  to  the  utmost  his  cruel  pre- 


Historical  Appendix.  123 

rogative  of  power  to  crush  a  prophet  whose  actions  tended  to 
make  him  and  his  powerful  family  at  once  wholly  contempt- 
ible and  comparatively  poor"  (Farrar,  Vol.  II.,  p.  334). 

BLASPHEMY. 

Strictly  speaking,  blasphemy  is  speaking  evil  of  God.  "  Re. 
member  this,  that  the  enemy  hath  reproached,  O  Lord,  and 
that  a  foolish  people  have  blasphemed  thy  name  "  (Ps.  Ixxiv. 
18).  '*My  name  continually  is  blasphemed"  (Isa.  lii.  5). 
"For  the  name  of  God  is  blasphemed  among  the  Gentiles 
because  of  you,  even  as  it  is  written"  (Rom.  ii.  24). 

It  also  means  any  phase  of  evil  speaking  against  God. 
"And  set  two  men,  sons  of  Belial,  before  him,  and  let  them 
bear  witness  against  him,  saying,  Thou  didst  curse  God  and 
the  king.  And  then  carry  him  out,  and  stone  him  that  he 
die"  (I.  Ki.  xxi.  10).  "And  when  they  opposed  themselves, 
and  blasphemed,  he  shook  out  his  raiment,  and  said  unto 
them.  Your  blood  be  upon  your  own  heads ;  I  am  clear :  from 
henceforth  I  will  go  unto  the  Gentiles"  (Acts  xviii.  6). 

In  Hosea  vii.  16,  blasphemy  means  reproach  or  derision; 
and  in  II.  Sam.  xii.  14,  it  means  to  despise  Judaism.  Among 
the  Jews,  the  blasphemer  was  punished  by  stoning.  And  the 
son  of  an  Israelitish  woman,  whose  father  was  an  Egyptian, 
went  out  among  the  children  of  Israel:  and  the  son  of  the 
Israelitish  woman  and  a  man  of  Israel  strove  together  in  the 
camp ;  and  the  son  of  the  Israelitish  woman  blasphemed  the 
Name,  and  cursed :  and  they  brought  him  to  Moses.  And 
his  mother's  name  was  Shelomith.  .  .  .  And  the  Lord 
spake  unto  Moses,  saying.  Bring  forth  him  that  hath  cursed 
without  the  camp  ;  and  let  all  that  heard  him  lay  their  hands 
upon  his  head,  and  let  all  the  congregation  stone  him.  And 
thou  shalt  speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  saying,  Whoso- 
ever curseth  his  God  shall  bear  his  sin.  And  he  that  blas- 
phemeth  the  name  of  the  Lord,  he  shall  surely  be  put  to 


124  Trials  of  Christ, 

death ;  all  the  congregation  shall  certainly  stone  him :  as  well 
the  stranger,  as  the  homeborn,  when  he  blasphemeth  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  put  to  death  "  (Lev,  xxiy.  10-16). 

The  Jews  understood  Lev.  xxiv.  16  to  prohibit  them  from 
pronouncing  the  name  of  Jehovah  under  any  circumstances; 
hence  they  did  not.  One  divine  says:  "Three  things  are  es- 
sential to  this  crime:  i,  God  must  be  the  object;  2,  the  words 
spoken  or  written  .  .  .  must  be  injurious  in  their  na- 
ture ;  and,  3,  he  who  commits  the  crime  must  do  it  knowing- 
ly." **By  the  laws  of  England  and  of  many  of  the  United 
States,  blasphemies  of  God,  as  denying  His  being  or  provi- 
dence, and  all  contumelious  reproaches  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  profane  scoffing  at  the  Holy  Bible,  or  exposing  it  to 
contempt,  are  offenses  punishable  by  fine  and  imprisonment" 
(Blackstone's  Commentaries,  Bk.  IV.,  ch.  iv.).  "According 
to  the  law  of  Scotland,  blasphemy  is  punished  with  death ; 
these  laws,  however,  in  the  present  age  are  not  enforced " 
(McClintock  &  Strong's  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical  Literature, 
Vol.  L,  p.  830). 

It  was  a  Jewish  ordinance  that  the  clothes  should  be  rent 
on  the  hearing  of  a  blasphemy;  and  herein  it  was  specially 
ordered  that  the  high-priest  should  rend  his  clothes  from  be- 
low upward,  whereas  ordinarily  the  rent  was  made  from 
above  downward.  This  rent  was  not  to  be  sewn  up  again 
(Sepp,  iii.  473).  Upon  the  ceremony  of  the  rending  of  the 
clothes,  see  Friedlieb,  92.  The  high-priest  certainly  was  not 
to  rend  his  sacred  garments ;  but  he  wore  them  only  on  high 
festivals  in  the  temple  (92).  The  passages  forbidding  the 
high-priests  to  rend  their  garments  are  Lev.  x.  6,  and  xxi.  10. 
Byneus  tells  us  that  the  Jewish  doctors  understood  this  to 
refer  only  to  the  sacred  robe  used  in  the  temple  ser- 
vice.  He  also  tells  us  the  rent  was  to  be  in  front,  from  the 
bottom  to  the  top.  Lightfoot,  on  Matt.  xxvi.  65,  quotes  from 
the  tract  Sanhedrim  :  '*  They  that  judge  a  blasphemer  first  ask 


Historical  Appendix.  125 

the  witness,  and  bid  him  speak  out  plainly  what  he  hath 
heard;  and  when  he  speaks  it,  the  judges,  standing  on  their 
feet,  rend  their  garments,  and  do  not  sew  them  up  again " 
(quoted  in  Lange's  Life  of  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  310}. 

CAIAPHAS. 

Caiaphas  was  appointed  high-priest  by  Valerius  Gratus, 
A.  D.  25,  shortly  before  he  left  Judsea.  He  held  his  office 
during  the  entire  procuratorship  of  Pontius  Pilate  (who  suc- 
ceeded Gratus),  and  until  some  time  after  Marcellus  (Pilate's 
successor)  was  appointed.  Caiaphas  was  deposed  by  Vitellius, 
Governor  of  Syria,  in  A.  D.  36,  having  held  his  office  eleven 
years.  Dr.  Geikie  has  strangely  contradicted  himself  on  this 
point.  In  Vol.  II.,  p.  502,  he  says:  "At  the  time  of  the  con- 
demnation of  Jesus,  Caiaphas  had  held  the  high-priesthood 
for  seventeen  years; "  and  on  page  336,  in  the  same  volume, 
he  says:  "Caiaphas  had  been  appointed  by  the  Procurator 
Valerius  Gratus,  shortly  before  the  governor  left  the  prov- 
ince, in  A.  D.  25 — when  Jesus  was  about  twenty  years  of  age ; 
and  he  continued  to  hold  his  great  office  till  the  year  A.  d.  36, 
when  he  was  removed  by  the  Proconsul  Vitellius,  shortly  after 
the  recall  of  Pilate."  The  last  statement  is  correct.  It  is 
only  by  a  retrospective  and  chronological  view  of  the  life  of 
Caiaphas,  that  the  full  turpitude  of  his  crime  can  be  seen. 
As  early  as  the  feast  of  Purim  (Adar — March),  which  was 
just  before  Jesus  entered  upon  the  second  year  of  his  minis- 
try, the  Jerusalem  Jews  "sought  to  slay  him"  (John  v.  16). 
We  charge  Caiaphas  with  inciting  the  Jews  to  this  murderous 
effort;  for  the  common  Jews  did  not  lead  the  Sanhedrists  and 
the  high-priest,  but  vice  versa.  Therefore,  if  Caiaphas  was  not 
the  prime  mover  in  this  black  iniquity,  he  was  surely  in  com- 
plicity with  the  Jews,  and  according  to  the  language  of  him 
whom  they  sought  to  kill,  was  already  in  the  sight  of  God 
a  murderer  (Matt.  xv.  19). 


1 26  Trials  of  Christ. 

In  the  following  September,  as  soon  as  Jesus  had  made  His 
appearance  in  the  Court  of  the  Women,  in  the  Temple,  at 
the  feast  of  Tabernacles,  He  was  surrounded  by  Caiaphas* 
clique,  who  "sought  to  take  Him:  but  no  man  laid 
hands  on  Him,  because  His  hour  was  not  yet  come"  (John 
vii.  30).  On  the  last  day  of  the  feast  of  Tabernacles  the  San- 
hedrists  sent  officers  to  arrest  Jesus ;  but  when  they  heard  His 
burning  words,  "  If  any  Man  thirst,  let  Him  come  unto  Me 
and  drink,"  they  were  divinely  smitten,  and  returned  to 
them  and  said,  "Never  Man  spake  like  this  Man"  (John  vii. 
yj,  46).  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Caiaphas  was  the 
leading  spirit  in  the  Sanhedrin,  and  most  probably  the  presi- 
dent of  it. 

As  soon  as  Jesus  arrived  at  the  feast  of  Dedication  (in  the 
following  December)  He  found  Himself  surrounded  by  Caia- 
phas' clique,  who  sought  again  to  take  Him :  but  He 
escaped  out  of  their  hand,  and  went  away  again  beyond  Jor- 
dan, into  the  place  where  John  at  first  baptized  "  *  (John  x. 


*This  was  Bethabara,  a  little  village  on  the  east  bank  of  the  River 
Jordan,  and  a  little  northeast  of  Jericho.  Jesus  dearly  loved  Beth- 
abara, and  the  Jordan  at  this  place,  and  it  was  perfectly  natural  that 
He  should  ;  for  here  the  Baptizer  stationed  himself  and  announced  Him 
near  at  hand.  Loved  this  place  because  in  the  River  Jordan  the  Bap- 
tizer had  immersed  hundreds,  and  perhaps  thousands,  calling  them  to 
repentance  and  to  faith  in  Him.  But  he  loved  this  place  most  dearly, 
because  He  Himself  was  buried  beneath  the  swift-rolling  waves  of  Jor- 
dan, and  because  immediately  thereafter,  at  the  edge  of  the  river,  God 
first,  and  for  the  first  time,  publicly  owned  Him  as  His  son.  Dr.  Geikie, 
in  speaking  of  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  says:  "Holy  and  pure  before 
sinking  under  the  waters,  He  must  yet  have  risen  from  them  with  the 
light  of  a  higher  glory  in  His  countenance.  His  past  life  was  closed  ; 
a  new  era  had  opened.  .  .  .  It  was  the  true  moment  of  His  entrance 
on  a  new  life.  Past  years  had  been  buried  in  the  waters  of  Jordan.  He 
entered  them  as  Jesus,  the  Son  of  Man  ;  He  rose  from  them,  the  Christ 
of  God."  Further  on  he  calls  the  baptism  of  Jesus:  "The  consecra- 
tion from  on  high  to  the  office  of  the  Messiah,  and,  as  such,  the  true 
birth-hour  of  Christianity"  (Vol.   I.,  pp,  413,  414).      Moreover,  Jesus 


Historical  Appe7idix.  127 

39,  40).  About  two  months  after  this  Jesus  was  summoned 
to  Bethany,  and  as  soon  as  He  had  raised  Lazarus  from  the 
grave  the  Pharisees  hastened  to  the  Sanhedrists,  and  "told 
them  what  things  Jesus  had  done"  (John  xi.  46).  Immedi- 
ately after  this  they  held  a  death-council,  saying:  "  What  do 
we  ?  for  this  man  doeth  many  miracles.  If  we  let  Him  thus 
alone,  all  men  will  believe  in  Him  :  and  the  Romans  shall 
come  and  take  away  both  our  place  and  nation  "  (John  xi, 
47,  48).  Caiaphas  could  conceal  his  murderous  intent  no 
longer,  and,  rising  before  the  assembly  with  great  pontifical 
assumption,  said  :  "  Ye  know  nothing  at  all,  nor  consider  that 
it  is  expedient  for  us  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people, 
and  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not"  (John  xi.  49,  50). 
These  words  were  an  expression  of  Caiaphas's  avowed  pur- 
pose to  take  the  life  of  Jesus,  at  whatever  cost.  "Then,  from 
that  day  forth, they  took  counsel  together  to  put  Hmi  to  death  " 
(John  xi.  53). 

Jesus,  knowing  this,  withdrew  from  Jerusalem,  and  went 
to  Ephraim,  near  to  a  wilderness  place,  where  he  remained 
with  His  apostles  until  about  the  time  of  the  passover.  Just 
before  the  time  of  the  passover  the  Sanhedrists  gave  "a 
commandment  that,  if  any  man  knew  where  He  were,  he 
should  shew  it,  that  they  might  take  Him  "  (John  xi.  57). 

loved  this  place  because,  from  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  He  took  His 
first  official  step  in  the  work  of  human  redemption.  It  was  at  Beth- 
abara  that  He  was  proclaimed  by  John  to  be  "  The  Lamb  of  God  who 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world"  (John  i.  29).  Here  He  gained  His 
first  five  disciples,  and  it  was  at  this  place  He  tarried,  and  baptized  the 
first  disciples  He  gained  after  the  first  five  (John  i.  35  ;  and  iii.  22). 

WIDTH  AND  DEPTH  OF  JORDAN. 

It  has  been  urged  that  the  River  Jordan  was  too  shallow  for  John  to 
have  practiced  immersion.  Lynch  says:  "  A  short  distance  above  the 
Dead  Sea  the  River  Jordan  is  forty  yards  wide  and  twelve  feet  deep — 
then,  fifty  yards  wide  and  eleven  feet  deep— then,  eighty  yards  wide 
and  seven  feet  deep — then,  one  hundred  yards  wide  and  three  feet  deep 
upon  the  bar"  (p.  267).     This  is  an  unbiased  statement. 


128  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

When  the  Sanhedrists  saw  Jesus  making  His  humble  tri- 
umphal march  around  the  southern  brow  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  and  saw  the  seemingly  universal  reverence  shown 
Him,  and  heard  those  who  went  with  great  demonstration 
before  Him,  and  those  who  followed  with  great  demonstra- 
tion behind  Him,  all  shout  at  the  top  of  their  voices:  *'  Ho- 
sanna,  hosanna,  hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David :  Blessed  is  he 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Hosanna  in  the  high- 
est." ''They  said  among  themselves.  Perceive  ye  how  ye 
prevail  nothing?  Behold,  the  world  is  gone  after  Him" 
(Matt.  xxi.  9,  and  John  xii.  19).  Henceforth  they  sought 
the  more  earnestly  to  accomplish  Jesus's  death,  but,  seem- 
ingly, to  but  little  effect  until  Tuesday  night,  April  12th,  in 
Passover  week.  It  was  at  this  time  the  Sanhedrists  were 
holding  a  clandestine  death-council,  into  which  Judas  man- 
aged to  creep.  He  must  have  foreshadowed  his  purpose  in 
order  to  gain  admittance.  The  Sanhedrists  "were  glad" 
when  Judas  rose  and  said:  "What  will  ye  give  me,  and  I 
will  deliver  Him  unto  youg?"  (Matt.).  Judas  was  the  very 
man  for  whom  they  had  long  been  looking ;  but  they  had  not 
expected  Jesus's  Judas  to  be  their  Judas;  but  it  was  so,  and 
they  were  only  too  glad  that  it  was  so.  The  bloody  compact 
was  soon  made,  and  the  amount  of  blood-money  was  to  be 
about  $15.90.  Who  was  the  leading  spirit  in  this  death-coun- 
cil? Caiaphas.  Who  acted  as  spokesman  in  making  this 
bloody  contract?  Caiaphas.  Who  finally  paid  Judas  the 
money  for  his  deceitful  work  ?  Caiaphas.  He  was  the  blood- 
iest man  connected  with  the  death  of  Jesus ;  for  in  his  breast 
the  spirit  of  murder  had  been  rankling  for  a  whole  year. 

The  foregoing  will,  in  some  measure,  prepare  the  reader  to 
understand  how  it  was  that  Caiaphas  was  so  enraged  at  Jesus 
as  soon  as  He  was  brought  before  him  and  the  Sanhedrists, 
His  terrible  wrath  was  but  the  bursting  of  the  storm  that  had 
long  been  gathering.     Caiaphas  a  Christian  ?    No.    Caiaphas 


Historical  Appendix.  1 29 

a  high  priest  ?  No.  Caiaphas  a  moral  man  ?  Nay,  verily  ; 
he  was  the  bloodiest  deicide  of  the  deicidal  mob.  Pontius 
Pilate  was  a  Christian  compared  to  him.  Jesus  almost  said 
this  when  He  said  to  Pilate :  "  He  who  delivered  Me  to  thee, 
hath  a  greater  sin  than  thee." 

See  Section  IH.,  and  the  notes  thereon. 

CRUCIFIXION. 

"Death  by  the  cross  was  the  most  terrible  and  the  most 
dreaded  and  shameful  punishment  of  antiquity — a  punish- 
ment, the  very  name  of  which,  Cicero  tells  us,  should  never 
come  near  the  thoughts,  the  eyes,  the  ears,  of  a  Roman  citi- 
zen, far  less  his  person.  It  was  of  eastern  origin,  and  had 
been  in  use  among  the  Persians  and  Carthaginians  long, 
long  before  its  employment  in  the  Western  countries.  Alex- 
ander the  Great  adopted  it  in  Palestine,  from  the  Phoenicians, 
after  the  defence  of  Tyre,  which  he  punished  by  crucifying 
two  thousand  citizens  when  the  place  surrendered.  Crassus 
signalized  its  introduction  into  Roman  use  by  lining  the  road 
from  Capua  to  Rome  with  crucified  slaves.  .  .  .  Augus- 
tus finally  inaugurated  its  general  use,  by  crucifying  six  thou- 
sand slaves  at  once  in  Sicily.  It  was  not  a  Jewish  punishment. 
It  was  the  punishment  inflicted  by  heathenism, 
which  knows  no  compassion  or  reverence  for  man  as  man,  on 
the  worst  of  criminals,  on  highway  robbers,  rebels  and  slaves, 
or  on  provincials,  who,  in  the  eyes  of  Rome,  were  only  slaves 
if  they  fell  into  crime." — Geikie. 

"Crucifixion  was  a  punishment  used  by  the  Grecians, 
Romans,  Egyptians,  and  many  other  nations,  but  not  by  the 
Jews.  It  was  indeed  permitted  by  the  law  to  hang  a  man  on 
a  tree,  but  only  after  he  had  been  put  to  death  (Deut.  xxi.  21- 
23).  Upon  this,  Maimonides,  quoted  by  Ainsworth,  remarks : 
'  After  they  are  stoned  to  death,  they  fasten  a  piece  of  timber 
in  the  earth,  and  out  of  it  there  crosseth  a  piece  of  wood ;  then 


130  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

they  tie  both  hands  one  to  another,  and  hang  them  unto  the 
setting  of  the  sun.'  " — Andrews. 

"This  mode  of  punishment  —  unintelligible  to  the  milder 
Christian  customs  of  our  times,  and  partially  suppressed 
throughout  the  civilized  world  three  centuries  after  Christ  by 
the  first  Christian  emperor,  Constantine,*  by  way  of  propitia- 
tion to  the  exalted  sufferer  and  his  followers  on  the  cross — 
was  distinctively  pagan,  and  was  a  refined  invention  for  the 
purpose  of  making  the  death  of  the  condemned  as  painful  as 
it  was  prolonged.  The  Jews,  who  in  this  respect,  as  well 
as  others,  were  more  humane  than  their  cotemporaries, 
did  not  practice  this  horrible  custom.  .  .  .  The  cruel 
and  lawless  Alexander  Janngeus  alone  once  made  use  of  it  in 
a  frightful  manner,  and  is  therefore  charged  by  Josephus  with 
cruelty  and  godlessness.  Even  Herod  was  prudent  enough  to 
avoid  its  use.  .  .  .  It  seems  that  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
derived  the  punishment  of  the  cross  from  the  East,  where  it 
was  practiced  by  the  Phoenicians,  the  crudest  neighbors  of  the 
Jews.  It  is  well  known  that  Alexander  the  Great,  adopting 
the  Phoenician  custom  of  the  country,  caused  two  thousand 
Syrians  to  be  nailed  to  the  cross.  In  Italy  and  Sicily  the 
punishment  of  the  cross  dates  back  to  ancient  times,  probably 
under  Phoenician  influences,  and  was  originally  inflicted  only 
upon  slaves,  robbers,  deserters,  and  cowards.  Cicero  says 
that  humane  masters  did  not  inflict  it  even  upon  slaves,  and 
Julius  Caesar  caused  captured  pirates  to  be  strangled  before 
they  were  subjected  to  the  mode  of  dishonoring  the  dead  cus- 


*  Kitto  says  :  "  The  punishment  of  crucifixion  was  abolished  by  Con- 
stantine, who  was  led  to  deem  it  unseemly  that  the  most  atrocious  vil- 
lains, and  persons  guilty  of  the  most  flagrant  crimes,  should  suffer  death 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  blessed  Savior.  He  therefore  directed  that 
hanging  should  thereafter  be  the  punishment  of  those  crimes  which  had 
formerly  been  punished  by  crucifixion." 


Historical  Appendix.  1 3  ^ 

ternary  among  the  most  vicious  nations,  viz.,  hanging  upon 
the  cross."     ... 

thage  and  Rome  employed  iron  naiis.  Strong,  sharp-pointed 
iron  nails  .  .  were  driven  into  the  hands  —  first  into  the 
right  and  then  into  the  left— until  they  passed  through  and 
were  firmly  fastened  in  Jhe  wood.  The  wretched  man  was 
lifted,  by  cords  and  with  the  help  of  ladders,  to  the  top  of 
the  post  to  which  the  middle  of  the  cross  beam  was  now  at- 
tached, either  by  being  inlet  or  bound  on.  He  was  placed 
upon  the  insignificant,  horn-like  peg,  the  sedile,  which  pro- 
jected from  the  middle  of  the  cross,  and  was  intended  not  to 
ease  the  sufferer,  but  to  support  the  weight,  which  otherwise 
would  have  torn  the  limbs  from  the  nails,  and  even  endan- 
gered the  attachment  of  the  transverse  beam.  Next,  the  feet, 
after  having  been  stretched  downward,  were  fastened  to  the 
post.  This  was  done  either  by  driving  an  iron  spike  through 
each  foot,  or  the  feet  were  placed  together  and  one  large  spike 
was  driven  through  both." 

"  The  Acts  of  Pilate  indulge  in  fanciful  statements  about 
the  girding  of  Jesus  with  a  white  linen  cloth,  the  clothing  of 
Him  with  a  scarlet  woolen  robe,  and  the  pressing  of  the  crown 
of  thorns  afresh  upon  His  head ;  and  the  Fathers  think  that  He 
had  kept  the  crown  of  thorns  upon  His  head  all  the  way  from 
the  city.  Recently  critics  have  been  strongly  inclined  to 
believe  that  Jesus  was  furnished  with  at  least  such  a  cloth 
round  His  loins  as  is  mentioned  in  the  first  form  of  the  Acts  of 
Pilate.  But  the  evidence  for  this  hitherto  collected  is  not 
quite  sufacient,  since  Artemidor  attests  the  nudity  of  those 
who  were  crucified ;  and  the  delicate  attention  which  was  re- 
quired (and  that  only  in  former  times)  in  the  case  of  athletes 
would  not  be  required  in  the  case  of  a  criminal,  especially 
among  soldiers  who  lacked  any  sense  of  propriety,  and  who 
looked  upon  the  clothes  of  the  victim  as  their  booty  "  (Keim's 
Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol.  VI,  p.  148).     All  things  considered,  we 


132  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

are  forced  to  the  shocking  thought  that  the  Savior  was  spared 
no  indecency  whatever;  for  His  crucifixion  was  Roman,  and 
not  Jewish. 

GREAT  SANHEDRIN. 

•*  This  was  the  Supreme  Council,  or  Supreme  Court  of  Jus- 
tice, of  the  Jewish  nation  before  and  during  the  days  of  Christ. 
It  consisted  of  seventy-one  members.  These  members  repre- 
sented three  classes  of  the  nation,  viz.:  The  priests,  who  were 
represented  by  their  chief,  called  in  the  Bible  the  chief  priests, 
of  whom  there  were  most  probably  four  and  twenty  (I. 
Chron.  xxiv.  4,  6  ;  Matt,  xxvii.  i ;  John  vii.  32 ;  xi.  47  ;  xii.  lo). 
The  elders  (Matt.  xvi.  21  ;  xxi.  23;  xxvi.  3,  47,  57,  59;  xxvii. 
I,  3,  12,  20,  41  ;  xxviii.  12 ;  Mark  viii.  31  ;  xi.  27  ;  xiv.  43,  53  ; 
Luke  ix.  22 ;  xx.  i  ;  xxii.  52 ;  John  viii.  9 ;  Acts  iv.  5,  23  ;  vi. 
12  ;  xxiii.  14;  xxv.  15)  ;  also  called  elders  of  the  people  (Acts  iv. 
8  .  .  .  Luke  xxiii.  13;  xxiv.  20;  Acts  iii.  17).  These 
elders,  who  most  probably  were  also  twenty-four  in  number 
(Rev.  iv.  4)  were  the  representatives  of  the  laity,  or  the  peo- 
ple generally.  The  scribes — lawyers — interpreters  of  the  law 
in  ecclesiastical  and  civil  matters,  represented  that  particular 
portion  of  the  community  which  consisted  of  the  literary 
laity,  and  most  probably  were  twenty-two  in  number." 

John  uses  the  word  "Pharisee"  to  denote  the  Sanhedrin 
(John  i.  24;  iv.  I ;  viii.  3 ;  xi.  46). 

PRESIDENT    AND    VICE    PRESIDENT. 

"The  Sanhedrin  was  presided  over  by  a  President,  called 
Nasi— /n«f^,  patriarch — and  a  Vice  President,  styled  the  fath- 
er of  the  house  of  judgment.''^ 

PLACE   OF    MEETING. 

The  legal  place  for  the  Sanhedrin  to  meet  was  in  the  "  Hall 
of  Squares,"  on  the  south  side  of  the  temple  court.      "The 


Historical  Appendix.  133 

room  they  met  in  was  a  rotunda,  half  of  which  was  built  with- 
out the  temple  and  half  within ;  that  is,  one  semi-circle  was 
within  the  compass  of  the  temple,  the  other  semi-circle  was 
built  without,  for  the  Senators  to  sit  in,  it  being  unlawful  for 
any  one  to  sit  down  in  the  temple.  The  right  of  judging  in 
capital  *  cases  belonged  to  this  court,  and  the  sentence  could 
not  be  pronounced  in  any  other  place  but  in  the  hall  called 
Laschathaggazith,  or  the  hall  paved  with  stones  "  (Encyclo- 
paedia Britannica). 

ORDER    IN    WHICH    THE    SANHEDRISTS    SAT. 

"The  judges  before  whom  Jesus  was  led  sat,  turbaned,  on 
cushions  or  pillows,  in  Oriental  fashion,  with  crossed  legs, 
and  unshod  feet,  in  a  half  circle  ;  Caiaphas,  as  high  priest,  in 
the  center,  and  the  chief,  or  oldest,  according  to  precedence, 
on  each  side.  The  prisoner  was  placed,  standing,  before 
Caiaphas  ;  at  each  end  of  the  semicircle  sat  a  scribe,  to  write 
out  the  sentence  of  acquittal  or  condemnation.  Some  bailiffs, 
with  cords  and  thongs,  guarded  the  accused,  while  a  few 
others  stood  behind  to  call  witnesses,  and,  at  the  close,  to 
carry  out  the  decision  of  the  judges." — Dr.  Geikie. 

JURISDICTION    AND    POWER    OF   THE    SANHEDRIN. 

This  Supreme  Court  tried  cases  both  political  and  ecclesi- 
astical. After  Judaea  became  a  Roman  province,  the  right  to 
execute  a  prisoner  was  withdrawn  from  the  Sanhedrin  and 
vested  in  the  Procurator.  This  change  was  made  A.  D.  7, 
when  Coponius  was  appointed  Procurator  of  Judaea.  The 
Sanhedrin  retained  the  right  to  try  a  prisoner  according 
to  the  law,  but  the  sentence  which  they  passed  could  not  be 
carried  into  execution  until  they  had  obtained  the  written 
permit  of  the  Roman  Procurator,  who  at  this  time  was  Pon- 


*  "  Such  cases  could  only  be  tried  and  capital  sentence  pronounced  in 
the  regular  meeting  place  of  the  Sanhedrin." — Edersheim. 


134  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

tius  Pilate.      False  prophets  could  be  tried  alone  by  the  San- 
hedrin.     Hence  the  Savior's  language  (Luke  xiii.  2>7))' 

It  required  the  presence  of  twenty-three  members  of  the 
Sanhedrin  to  form  a  quorum. 

RULES    GOVERNING   TRIAL   BEFORE   THE   SANHEDRIN. 

1.  Their  great  axiom  was:  "The  Sanhedrin  is  to  save,  not 
to  destroy  life." 

2.  The  accused  is  to  be  held  innocent  until  proven  to  be 
guilty. 

3.  No  man  could  be  tried  and  condemned  in  his  absence 
(John  vii.  51). 

4.  In  the  beginning  of  a  trial  of  capital  punishment,  the 
President  solemnly  admonished  the  witnesses  to  remember 
the  preciousness  of  human  life,  and  to  take  care  that  they  for- 
got nothing  that  could  tell  in  the  prisoner's  favor.  To  secure 
this  a  council  was  appointed  to  see  that  all  possible  was  done 
for  his  acquittal. 

5.  Capital  cases  could  not  be  begun  on  a  day  preceding  a 
Sabbath,  or  public  feast. 

6.  No  criminal  trial  could  be  begun  or  concluded  in  the 
night. 

7.  A  verdict  of  guilty  could  not  be  pronounced  until  the 
day  after  the  trial. 

8.  The  judges  who  condemned  a  criminal  to  death  had  to 
fast  all  day  before  making  said  condemnation.  They  were  to 
assemble  on  the  day  following  the  trial,  and  examine  the  evi- 
dence, and  see  whether  there  was  any  contradiction  on  the 
part  of  the  witnesses. 

9.  Votes  of  the  youngest  members  of  the  Sanhedrists  were 
taken  first,  that  they  might  not  be  influenced  by  their  seniors. 

10.  No  one  could  be  executed  on  the  same  day  on  which 
the  sentence  of  death  was  passed. 

11.  A  herald  preceded  the  one  who  was  to  be  executed, 


Historical  Appendix.  1 3  5 

and  cried:  "  A,  son  of  B,  has  been  found  guilty  of  death,  be- 
cause he  committed  such  and  such  a  crime,  according  to  the 
testimony  of  C  and  D.  If  any  one  knows  anything  to  clear 
him,  let  him  come  forward  and  declare  it  "  (Ed.  v.  2,  p.  584). 
12.  The  property  of  the  executed  was  not  confiscated,  but 
passed  over  to  his  heirs,  or  to  his  nearest  friends. 

MODES  OF  PUNISHMENT  AMONG  THE  JEWS. 

From  time  immemorial  the  Jews  had  only  four  modes  of 
punishment,  viz.:  stoning,  burning,  beheading,  and  strangling.' 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  GREAT  SANHEDRIN. 

The  Jews  ascribe  the  origin  of  the  Sanhedrin  to  Moses  (Ex. 
xviii,  24-26).  Keim  says:  ''The  Sanhedrim,  the  Sanhedrim 
of  Israel,  or  of  Jerusalem,  did  not,  as  the  Rabbis  teach,  take 
its  rise — at  least  in  the  form  in  which  it  is  tangible  to  us — in 
the  ancient  Mosaic  times,  from  which  only  the  number  of  the 
Seventy  Elders  of  Moses  was  borrowed,  but  in  the  times  that 
followed  the  exile,  more  exactly — as  is  shown  by  its  Greek 
name,  '  The  sitting  together  ' — in  the  time  of  the  Asmonaean 
princes  of  the  second  century  before  Christ,  when  the  Jewish 
learning  of  the  scribes  first  flourished,  and  the  Greek  language 
was  cultivated  in  Israel.     .     .      .     B.  c.  107." 

*  Kitto,  in  speaking  of  the  Sanhedrin  of  Christ's  day,  says  : 
"No  mention  is  made  of  the  existence  of  such  a  council  in 
all  the  Old  Testament,  and  this  silence  seems  quite  decisive, 
as,  if  it  existed,  it  could  not  have  failed  to  occupy  such  a  posi- 
tion, and  to  have  been  so  connected  with  the  public  affairs  of 
the  country,  that  not  to  notice  it  would  be  much  the  same  as 
to  omit  any  notice  of  the  Senate  in  a  history  of  Rome.  It 
was  doubtless  intended  as  an  imitation  of  the  Mosaicai  Insti- 
tution, and  the  difference  may  be  accounted  for  by  a  reference 


■-'•The  foregoing  articles  have  been  taken  largely  verbatim  from  Mc- 
Clintock  and  Strong's  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical  Literature. 


136  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

to  the  period  of  its  establishment,  which  was  apparently  in  the 
age  of  the  Maccabees." 

Farrar  says:  *«The  Sanhedrin  was  the  successor  of  the 
Great  Synagogue."  "This  was  about  350  years  B.  c." — 
Geikie. 

"THE  GREAT  SYNAGOGUE," 

According  to  Jewish  tradition,  denotes  the  council  first  ap- 
pointed after  the  return  of  the  Jews  from  the  Babylonian 
captivity  to  reorganize  the  religious  institutions  and  literature 
of  the  people.  .  .  .  As  to  its  date,  the  convention  of  this 
Great  Synagogue  was  most  probably  one  of  Nehemiah's  last 
acts.  ...  It  could  not,  therefore,  have  taken  place  be- 
fore B,  c.  424.  The  Great  Synagogue  was  most  probably  held 
a  few  years  after  the  above  date  of  Nehemiah's  second  visit. 
The  whole  period  of  the  Great  Synagogue,  about  104  years 
(b.  C.  404-300),  or  from  the  latter  days  of  Nehemiah  to  the 
death  of  Simon  the  Just,  who  was  the  last,  link  of  the  chain 
constituting  the  synod.  It  then  passed  into  the  Sanhedrin, 
when  the  whole  of  its  constitution  was  changed.  .  .  . 
According  to  tradition,  the  Great  Synagogue  consisted  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  members."  It  is  held  that:  **  At  the 
time  when  the  Great  Synagogue  is  held  to  have  passed  over 
into  the  Great  Sanhedrin,  the  representatives  consisted  of 
seventy,  M-hich  became  the  fixed  rule  for  the  Sanhedrin." 

SACRED  LAWS  OF  THE  GREAT  SYNAGOGUE. 

1.  Not  to  intermarry  with  heathens. 

2.  To  keep  the  Sabbath  day  holy. 

3.  To  observe  the  Sabbatical  year. 

4.  Every  one  to  pay  annually  a  third  of  a  shekel  to  the 
Temple. 

5.  To  supply  wood  for  the  altar. 

6.  Regularly  to  pay  the  priestly  dues  (Nehemiah  x.  28- 
39). 


Historical  Appendix,  137 

HEROD  ANTIPAS 

Was  the  son  of  Herod  the  Great  by  Malthace,  who  was  a  Sa- 
maritan. "  He  inherited  of  his  father's  dominions  only  Gal- 
ilee and  Perea  (b.  C.  5)  as  tetrarch,  with  a  yearly  income  of 
two  hundred  talents.  He  first  married  the  daughter  of  the 
Arabian  king,  Aretas,  but  afterward  became  enamored  with 
Herodias,  his  half-brother  Philip's  wife,  and  contracted  a 
clandestine  marriage  with  her,  on  account  of  which  the  Ara- 
bian princess  indignantly  returned  to  her  father.  Herodias 
inveigled  her  new  husband  into  the  execution  of  John  the 
Baptist  (Matt.  xiv.  4).  His  former  father-in-law,  Aretas.  .  . 
brought  war  against  him  on  pretenses  of  a  dispute  about 
boundaries,  but  probably,  in  reality,  to  avenge  the  insult  to  his 
daughter,  and  entirely  routed  his  army,  but  was  obliged  to 
desist  from  farther  steps  by  the  intervention  of  the  Romans  " 
(McClintock  and  Strong's  Biblical  Cyclopaedia,  Vol.   I.,    p. 

275)- 

HEROD'S  PALACE. 

In  speaking  of  the  Savior's  arrest,  Dr.  Geikie says  :  "Pilate, 
also,  had  arrived  from  Csesarea  to  secure,  in  person,  the  pres- 
ervation of  order  in  the  dangerous  days  of  the  feast.  His 
quarters  were  in  the  new  palace,  built  by  Herod  the  Great, 
on  Zion.  It  was  the  pride  of  Jerusalem.  *  The  kinds  of 
stone  used  in  its  construction,'  says  Josephus,  '  were  countless. 
Whatever  was  rare  abounded  in  it.  The  roofs  astonished 
every  one  by  the  length  of  their  beams  and  the  beauty  of 
their  adornment.  Vessels,  mostly  of  gold  and  silver,  rich  in 
chasing,  shone  on  every  side.  The  great  dining-hall  had  been 
constructed  to  supply  table-couches  for  three  hundred  guests. 
Others  opened  in  all  directions,  each  with  a  different  style  of 
pillar.  The  open  space  before  the  palace  was  laid  out  in 
broad  walks,  planted  with  long  avenues  of  different  trees,  and 
bordered  by  broad,  deep  canals  and  great  ponds,  flowing  with 


138  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

cool,  clear  water,  and  set  off  along  the  banks  with  innumer- 
able works  of  art.  It  was  the  vast  citadel-palace,  in  which 
the  tragedies  of  the  family  of  Herod  have  been  enacted.  Here 
Archelaus  had  reigned,  and  Glaphra  had  died.  By  right  of 
war,  the  Romans  had  taken  it,  as  the  chief  building  of  the 
city,  for  the  residence  of  the  procurators,  and  had  made  it  the 
Praetorium,  or  headquarters.  Its  enclosure — large  enough  to 
permit  almost  an  army  to  be  gathered  in  it,  if  necessary — ran 
along  the  inner  side  of  the  first  city  wall,  and  was  connected 
with  the  great  castles  of  white  stone  —  Mariamne,  Hippicus, 
and  Phasaelus — which  Herod  had  built,  the  whole  constitut- 
ing, in  fact,  a  vast  fortification.'  " 

In  speaking  of  Jesus  being  taken  before  Pilate,  Theodore 
Keim  says  :  "A  long  procession  moved,  about  7  A.  M.,  from 
the  temple  spaces  towards  the  buildings  devoted  to  the  pur- 
poses of  the  government.  .  .  .  The  governor's  residence 
lay,  not  where  legend  has  placed  it  to  the  north  of  the  temple 
near  the  fortess  Antonia,  but  in  the  upper  city  on  the  south- 
west of  the  temple  hill.  A  gate  and  a  bridge-like  viaduct 
across  the  ravine  that  lay  between,  led  directly  from  the  west 
porch  of  the  temple  across  Xystus,  a  public  place  surrounded 
by  columns,  to  the  old  royal  palace  of  the  Asmonasans,  then 
still  further  westward  and  higher  to  the  new  palace  of  King 
Herod.  Thus  it  often  happened  that  the  Roman  Governor 
inherited  the  splendid  edifices  of  the  local  kings.  The  Pro- 
praetor of  Sicily  occupied  the  castle  of  King  Herod,  and  the 
Procurator  of  Judaea  the  forsaken  palaces  of  Herod,  both  in 
Jerusalem  and  in  Caesarea  by  the  sea.  Down  to  the  time  of 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  the  building  was  still  frequently 
called  '  the  king's  castle,'  or  by  the  Roman  name  for  the 
'governor's  house,'  the  praetorium,  or  by  the  mixed  name  of 
*  The  Praetorium  of  Herod.'  It  is  incorrect  to  translate  prae- 
torium, as  Luther  does,  by  the  term,  *  court  of  justice,'  al- 
though it   often  served  as  such.     .     .     .      Situated  on    the 


Historical  Appendix.  1 3  9 

northwest  of  the  upper  city,  contiguous  to  the  first  city  wall, 
with  its  imposing  white  towers,  Mariamne,Hippicus,Phasaelus, 
was  itself  in  part  a  tyrant's  stronghold  and  in  part  a  fairy 
pleasure-house.  A  wall  thirty  cubits  high,  crowned  with 
towers  at  regular  distances,  ran  round  the  whole,  which  was 
so  large  that  a  small  army  could  be  stationed  therein.  The 
building  itself,  with  a  magnificent  prospect  over  the  whole  of 
Jerusalem,  spread  out  into  two  colossal  wings,  whose  regal 
splendor,  far  surpassing  even  the  marvelous  work  of  the  tem- 
pie,  is  again  and  again  mentioned,  with  emphasis,  by  the 
Jewish  historian  as  exhibiting  worthy  monuments  of  the  Ro- 
man imperial  friends,  after  whom  the  one  wing  was  called, 
•the  Caesareum,'  and  the  other,  '  ^grippeum.'  Among  the 
numerous  chambers,  which  were  remarkable  for  the  variety 
of  their  decorations  and  for  their  rich  gold  and  silver  uten- 
sils, the  most  conspicuous  were  the  great  room  for  men  and 
the  great  dining-hall,  furnished  with  one  hundred  table- 
couches,  and  therefore  capable  of  accommodating  three  hun- 
dred distinguished  guest.  The  floors  and  walls  were  covered 
with  the  rarest  and  the  most  diverse  stones,  the  ceilings 
showed  gigantic  beams  and  splendid  decorations.  Outside, 
the  buildings  were  surrounded  by  intricate  colonnades  of  the 
most  diversfied  architecture.  Beyond  these  again  were  mag- 
nificent green  parks,  with  broad  walks,  deep  canals,  and  cis- 
terns which  poured  their  water  out  of  brazen  mouths,  whilst 
numbers  of  tame  doves  among  the  turrets  scattered  about 
the  basins,  gave  animation  to,  and  completed  the  picture  " 
(Jesus  of  Nazara,  Vol.  VI.,  pp.  79-81). 

PAVEMENT— GABBATHA. 

'•Trials  in  the  open  air  were  common,  for  Roman  law 
courted  publicity.  Roman  governors,  and  the  half-Roman 
Herod  and  his  sons,  erected  their  tribunals,  indifferently,  be- 
fore the  palace,  in  the  market-place,  in  the  theatre,  in  the 


I40  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

circus,  or  even  in  the  highways.  Pilate  therefore  caused  his 
official  seat  to  be  set  down  on  a  spot  known,  in  Jerusalem,  as 
Gabbatha — the  high  place  —  from  its  being  raised  above  the 
crowd,  and  as  'The  Pavement,'  because  it  was  laid,  accord- 
ing to  Roman  custom,  where  judges  sat,  with  a  mosaic  of 
colored  stones.  It  was,  very  possibly,  a  permanent  erection, 
square,  or  of  crescent  shape,  of  costly  marble  in  keeping 
with  the  splendor  so  dear  to  Herod,  its  builder ;  projecting 
from  the  front  of  the  'Judgment  Hall,'  in  the  palace,  and 
easily  accessible  by  a  doorway  from  it.  It  was  a  maxim  of 
Roman  law  that  all  criminal  trials  should  be  held  on  a  raised 
tribunal,  that  all  might  see  and  be  seen"  (Dr.  Geikie). 

"  fcABBATHA,  high,  or  elevated.  In  Greek,  paved  with 
stones.  This  was  the  Hebrew  name  of  a  place  in  Pilate's  pal- 
ace (John  xix.  13),  whence  he  pronounced  sentence  against 
our  Savior.  It  was  probably  an  eminence,  or  terrace,  paved 
with  stone  or  marble,  and  of  considerable  height.  It  was 
properly  a  tessellated  marble  pavement  of  mosaic  work. 
From  the  time  of  Sylla,  ornamental  pavements  of  this  sort 
became  common  among  the  wealthy  Romans ;  and  when  they 
went  abroad  on  military  expeditions,  or  to  administer  the 
government  of  a  province,  they  carried  with  them  pieces  of 
marble  ready  fitted,  which,  as  often  as  an  encampment  was 
formed,  or  a  court  of  justice  opened,  were  regularly  spread 
around  the  elevated  tribunal  on  which  the  commander  or 
presiding  officer  was  to  sit.  Julius  Caesar  followed  this  cus- 
tom in  his  expeditions  "  (Calmet's  Dictionary). 

"Gabbatha,  the  Greek  word,  signifies  literally,  stone- 
paved,  and  is  frequently  used  to  denote  a  pavement  formed 
of  ornamental  stones  of  various  colors,  commonly  called  a 
tessellated  or  mosaic  pave??ient.  .  .  .  The  Roman  governors, 
although  they  tried  causes  and  conferred  with  their  council 
(Acts  XXV.  12),  within  the  prsetorium,  pronounced  sentence 
in  the  open  air"  (Kitto). 


Historical  Appendix.  141 

PR.CTORIUM  Hall. — Matthew  terms  this  part  of  Herod's 
Palace  "the  common  hall "  (xxvii.  27);  Mark,  "the  Prsetor- 
ium  hall"  (xv.  16);  and  John,  "the  judgment  hall"  (xviii. 
28,  2>Z »  ^i^-  9)'  It  has  been  seen  that  Herod's  Palace  was 
sometimes  termed  Praetorium,  but  the  foregoing  references 
are  to  the  place  where  trials  were  held  and  where  the  proc- 
urator's soldiers  were  stationed.  Herod's  Palace  at  Csesarea 
was  also  termed  Prsetorium  (Acts  xxiii.  35). 

Judgment  Seat. — This  was  a  fine  large  chair  on  the  pave- 
ment from  which  the  governors  pronounced  sentences.  "The 
ivory  curule  chair  of  the  procurator  —  his  seat  of  state  and 
sign  of  office ;  or,  perhaps,  the  old  golden  seat  of  Archelaus, 
was  set  down  on  the  tessellated  floor  of  the  tribunal,  which 
was  large  enough  to  let  the  assessors  of  the  court  —  Roman 
citizens,  who  acted  as  nominal  members  of  the  judicial 
bench — sit  beside  Pilate ;  for  Roman  law  required  their  pres- 
ence. On  lower  elevations  sat  the  officers  of  the  court,  friends 
of  the  procurator,  and  others  whom  he  chose  to  honor  "  (Dr. 
Geikie). 

Keim  advances  the  same  idea  in  reference  to  Pilate's  chair 
or  judgment-seat,  and  says:  "Beside  him,  upon  benches, 
were  the  council  or  the  assessors  of  the  court,  sub-officials, 
friends,  Roman  citizens,  whose  •  presence  could  not  be  dis- 
pensed with,  and  who  were  not  wanting  to  the  procurators 
of  Judaea,  although  our  reports  do  not  mention  them.  The 
steps  leading  to  the  tribunal  were  occupied  by  the  Sanhe- 
drists  Avho  delivered  up  their  victim.  There  was  sitting  room 
on  the  tribunal  also  for  the  accusers  and  the  accused ;  but  for 
the  subjects  in  Judasa  this  custom  did  not  prevail,  and  Jesus 
in  particular  stood"  (Vol.  VI.  p.  Z']). 

PILATE. 

Pilate  was  the  sixth  Roman  procurator  of  Judaea.  He  was 
appointed  by  Tiberius  Caesar  in  the  spring  of  A.  d.  26,  and 


142  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

held  his  office  until  A.  D.  36.  Dr.  Geikie  says  :  "  Pilate  will- 
fully set  himself  to  insult  and  violate  the  sacred  customs.  . 
.  .  Philo,*  his  contemporary,  charges  him  with  accepting 
bribes,  with  acts  of  unwonted  violence,  with  robberies,  with 
shameful  treatment  of  many,  with  wanton  insults  and  threats, 
continual  executions  contrary  to  law,  aad  aimless  and  griev- 
ous cruelties.  *  He  was  a  malicious  and  furious  man,'  says 
Philo,  <  unwilling  to  do  anything  that  he  thought  would 
please  his  subjects.' ''  Kittosays:  "Pilate  ,  .  .  under- 
stood but  little  of,  or  cared  but  little  for,  the  peculiar  charac- 
ter of  the  people  whom  he  was  appointed  to  rule.  By  his 
utter  disregard  of  the  religious  feelings  of  the  people  .  . 
.  he  gave  much  offense,  greatly  disturbed  the  repose  of  the 
country,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  many  troubles  and  re- 
volts that  afterwards  followed.  One  instance  of  this  is  afford- 
ed by  the  affair  of  the  standards,  as  related  in  Matt.  xxiv.  15, 
This  doubtless  applies  to  the  Roman  standards,  which  were 
abominable  to  the  Jews,  on  account  of  the  images  upon 
them,  to  which  the  Roman  soldiers  paid  idolatrous  reverence. 
But  it  may  be  naturally  asked,  '  Did  not  the  Roman  soldiers 
stationed  at  Jerusalem  carry  these  usual  images  on  their 
standards  previous  to  the  siege  ?  Josephus  affords  the  an- 
swer. Pilate  was  the  first  who  brought  these  images  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  set  them  up  there  in  the  night  time;  but  as  soon 
as  the  people  knew  it,  they  came  in  multitudes,  and  interced- 
ed with  Pilate  many  days  that  he  would  remove  the  images. 
On  the  sixth  day  he  ordered  the  soldiers  to  have  their  weap- 
ons ready,  and  when  the  Jews  petitioned  him  again,  he  gave 
a  signal  to  the  soldiers  to  surround  them,  and  threatened  im- 
mediate death  unless  they  would  cease  distracting  him.     But 


*  "  Philo  was  born  in  Alexandria,  about  the  year  20  B.  c.  He  was  a 
descendant  of  Aaron,  and  belonged  to  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most 
influential  families  among  the  Jewish  merchant  princes  of  Egypt." — 
Edersheim. 


Historical  Appendix.  145 

they  threw  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  laid  their  necks 
bare,  offering  to  die  rather  than  see  their  laws  transgressed; 
on  which  Pilate,  affected  by  their  firm  resolution  to  keep 
their  laws  inviolable,  commanded  the  images  to  be  carried 
back  from  Jerusalem  to  Cassarea. 

"On  another  occasion  Pilate  bethought  himself  of  conse- 
crating golden  bucklers  to  Tiberius  in  the  palace  of  Herod  in 
Jerusalem.  The  bucklers  bore  no  images  of  any  kind,  but 
only  an  inscription  expressing  their  dedication  to  Tiberius. 
The  Jews,  however,  took  alarm,  and  a  great  body  of  the 
people,  headed  by  the  magistrates  and  the  four  sons  of  Her- 
od, repaired  to  Pilate,  to  entreat  him  not  to  persist  in  a  mat- 
ter so  contrary  to  their  law.  But  Pilate  was  deaf  to  their 
entreaties  and  expostulations.  .  .  .  They  accordingly  did 
write  to  Rome,  and  Tiberius  wrote  back  immediately  to  Pi- 
late, expressing  great  displeasure,  and  ordering  the  bucklers 
to  be  withdrawn.  This  anecdote  rests  on  the  authority  of 
Philo  the  Jew."  Justin  Martyr,  Tertullian  and  Eusebius  say 
that  Pilate  sent  a  written  report  of  the  trials  and  death  of 
Christ  to  Tiberius,  and  that  he  wrote  back  to  Jerusalem  that 
divine  honors  be  paid  to  Him.  In  about  one  year  after  the 
death  of  Jesus,  a  great  tumult  arose  between  the  Jews  and 
Pilate  because  he  appropriated  some  of  their  sacred  money 
to  building  an  aqueduct.  Subsequently  Pilate  led  an  army 
against  the  Samaritans  at  Mt.  Gerizim  and  massacred  them, 
for  which  he  was  reported  to  Vitellius,  Governor  of  Syria, 
who  ordered  him  to  go  to  Rome  and  give  an  account  of  him- 
self to  the  Emperor  Tiberius.  According  to  Eusebius,  Pilate 
was  banished  to  Vienna  in  Gaul,  where  he  committed  suicide, 
A.  D.  38. 


144 


The   Trials  of  Christ. 


PROCURATORS  OF  JUD^A. 


Name. 
I  Coponius,* 


By  whom  Appointed. 
.  Augustus  Caesar, 


2  Marcus  Ambivius,  .  Augustus  C^sar, 


3  Annius  Rufus, 

4  Valerius  Gratus, 

5  Pontius  Pilate,! 

6  Marcellus, 


.  Augustus  Caesar, 
.  Tiberius  Caesar,    . 
.  Tiberius  Caesar,    . 
.  Vitellius,  President  of 

Syria,  .  .  . 
.  Claudius  Caesar,  , 
.  Claudius  Caesar,  . 


7  Herod  Agrippa  I. 

8  Cuspius  Fadus,   . 

9  Tiberius  Alexander,  Claudius  Caesar,  . 

10  Ventidius  Cumanus,  Claudius  Caesar,  . 

11  Antonius  Felix,  .     .  Claudius  Caesar,  . 

12  Porcius  Festus,   .     .  Nero  Caesar,^  .  . 

13  Albinus,    ....  Nero  Caesar,    .  . 

14  Gessius  Floris,     .     .  Nero  Caesar,    .  . 

ROMAN  EMPERORS. 


Time  in  Office. 
A.  D.  6  to  A.  D.  9 


9  to 
12  to 
15  to 
26  to 

36  to 
40  to 
44  to 
46  to 
49  to 
53  to 
60  to 
62  to 
64  to 


12 

15 
26 

36 

40 

44 
46 

49 
53 
55 
62 

63 

65 


I.  Julius  C^sar  was  the  first  Roman  emperor.  He  was 
born  in  Rome,  b.  c.  100,  and  was  one  of  three  who  consti- 
tuted the  triumvirate  of  Rome,  B.  c.  60.  History  says  he  was 
so  named  from  his  having  been  born  by  a  surgical  operation. 
The  name  Caesar  was  assumed  or  conferred  on  all  the  Roman 
emperors  after  Julius  Caesar. 


*  Many  authors  denominate  Herod  Archelaus  as  a  procurator  of  Ju- 
daea. This  is  incorrect,  because  Judaea  did  not  become  a  Roman  prov- 
ince until  the  deposition  of  Archelaus,  which  was  A.  D.  6.  This  is  in 
harmony  with  Greswell,  and  McClintock  and  Strong. 

t  Pilate  was  subject  to  Vitellius,  Governor  of  Syria,  who  sent  him 
to  Rome  to  give  an  account  of  himself  to  Tiberius  Caesar. 

\  There  is  a  variety  of  opinions  as  to  dates  at  this  point.  I  have  re- 
ceived my  information  largely  from  Greswell,  Smith,  and  from  McClin- 
tock and  Strong. 


Historical  Appendix.  145 

2.  Augustus  C^sar  was  born  b.  c.  62.  He  was  the  son 
of  Caius  Octavius,  whose  name  he  bore.  He  was  adopted 
and  educated  by  Julius  Caesar,  who  changed  his  name  from 
Octavius  to  Caius  Julius  Caesar  Octavianus.  He  was  emperor 
of  Rome  from  B.  c.  30  to  A.  D.  14.  The  only  reference  made 
to  him  in  the  Gospels  is  in  Luke  ii.  i.  It  was  Augustus  who 
removed  Archelaus  from  his  ethnarchy,  and  attached  Judaea 
and  Samaria  to  the  province  of  Syria.  Augustus  died  Aug- 
ust 19th,  A.  D.  14,  in  the  76th  year  of  his  age.  It  was  Aug- 
ustus who  had  the  honor  of  shutting  the  Temple  of  Janus, 
as  a  token  of  peace  when  the  Prince  of  Peace  made  His  ad- 
vent into  this  world. 

3.  Tiberius  C^sar  (full  name,  Tiberius  Claudius  Nero 
Caesar)  was  the  son  of  Tiberius  Claudius  Nero,  and  was  born 
at  Rome,  November  i6th,  b.  c.  45.  He  became  emperor  in 
his  55th  year,  and  died  in  his  78th  year,  having  reigned  23 
years.  He  is  said  to  have  been  despotic  in  his  government, 
and  cruel  in  disposition.  The  ministry  of  John  the  Baptist, 
and  the  ministry  and  death  of  the  Savior  are  said  to  have  oc- 
curred during  the  reign  of  Tiberius.  See  Luke  iii,  I ;  Matt, 
xxii.  17. 

4.  Caligula,  or  Caius  C^sar,  was  the  son  of  Germanicus, 
and  was  born  August  31st,  A.  d.  12.  He  was  emperor  of 
Rome  from  A.  D.  37  to  A.  d,  41,  and  was  assassinated  on  the 
24th  of  January  of  that  year. 

5.  Claudius  C^^s.^r  (full  name,  Tiberius  Claudius  Drusus 
Nero  Caesar  Augustus  Germanicus)  was  the  son  of  Drusus, 
and  was  born  August  1st,  B.  C.  10.  He  became  emperor  A.  D. 
41,  and  reigned  until  October  13th,  A.  D.  54,  at  which  time 
he  was  poisoned  by  his  niece  and  wife,  Agrippina. 

6.  Nero  C.-esar  (full  name,  Nero  Claudius  Caesar  Drusus 
Germanicus)  was  born  at  Antium,  in  Latium,  a.  d.  37.  When 
Nero  was  about  17  years  old,  his  mother  poisoned  her  hus- 
band, and  succeeded  in  raising  Nero  to  the  throne  in  A.  D.  54. 


146  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

In  A.  D.  59  Nero  poisoned  his  mother.  In  A.  D.  62  he  repu- 
diated his  wife,  Octavia.  In  A.  D.  64  the  burning  of  Rome 
occurred,  which  was  imputed  to  Nero.  He  committed  sui- 
cide on  June  llth,*  A.  D.  68,  in  the  32nd  year  of  his  life,  and 
in  the  14th  year  of  his  reign. 

7.  Galea  was  born  December  24th,  3  B.  c,  and  died  Jan- 
uary 15  th,  A.  D.  69.  He  began  his  reign  in  A.  d.  68,  and  was 
murdered  in  the  forum  at  Rome  seven  months  afterward. 

8.  Otho  was  born  a.  D.  32,  and  died  in  April,  A.  D.  69. 
He  aided  in  placing  Galba  on  the  throne,  for  which  service 
he  expected  to  become  his  successor ;  but  he  was  greatly  dis. 
appointed,  for  he  appointed  Piso  Licinianus.  "This  disap- 
pointment and  his  heavy  debts  made  him  desperate ;  and  he 
said  publicly  that  if  he  were  not  emperor  he  would  be  ruined. 
He  accordingly  conspired  among  the  guards,  who  proclaimed 
him  emperor,  and  put  Galba  to  death,  after  a  reign  of  seven 
months.  Otho  committed  suicide,  having  reigned  only  95 
days." — American  Cyclopadia. 

9.  VlTELLiUS  was  born  A.  D.  15.  He  was  proclaimed  em- 
peror on  the  death  of  Otho  in  A.  D.  69.  He  was  killed  by 
being  dragged  through  the  streets  of  Rome. 

10.  Vespasian  was  born  a.  d.  9.  In  66  Nero  sent  him  to 
Palestine.  In  71  he  and  his  son  Titus  took  Jerusalem  and  de- 
stroyed the  Jewish  nation.  It  is  said  that  he  persecuted 
Christianity  only  so  far  as  it  was  identified  with  Judaism. 
He  began  to  reign  A.  D.  69,  and  died  in  A.  D.  79,  in  the  tenth 
year  of  his  reign.  History  says  he  was  the  second  Roman 
emperor  who  died  a  natural  death,  and  the  first  who  trans- 
ferred the  empire  to  his  son. 

11.  Titus  ffull  name,  Flavius  Sabinus  Vespasianus)  was 
the  son  of  Vespasian  and  Flavia.  He  was  born  in  Rome, 
December  30th,  a.  d.  40.     He  reigned  from  A.  D.  79  to  Sep- 

*  Greswell  places  his  death  on  the  9th  of  June,  A.  D.  68  (Vol.  IV., 
pp.  70-72). 


Historical  Appendix,  147 

tember  13th,  A.  d.  81,  which  was  the  third  year  of  his  reign. 

12.  DoMiTiAN  (full  name,  Titus  Flavius  Domitianus)  was 
the  youngest  son  of  Vespasian  and  Domitilla.  He  was  a 
brother  to  Titus,  and  reigned  from  a.  d.  8i  to  September  iSth, 
A.  D.  96,  when  he  was  assassinated.  In  a.  d.  95  a  persecu- 
tion was  waged  against  Christians,  and  Eusebius  says:  *'  Dom- 
itian  was  the  second  who  raised  a  persecution  against  us,  and 
established  himself  as  successor  of  Nero  in  his  hatred  and 
hostility  to  God." 

13.  Nerva  was  the  thirteenth  Roman  emperor.  His  full 
name  was  Marcus  Cocceius.  Dion  says  he  was  born  a.  d.  32. 
He  was  noted  for  his  kindness  to  the  early  Christians.  It  is 
said  that  the  poetry  of  Nerva  recommended  him  to  the  favor 
of  Nero,  who  bestowed  on  him  great  military  honors  in  a.  d. 
96.  «'  He  was  employed  in  offices  of  trust  during  the  reigns 
of  Vespasian  and  Titus,  but  he  incurred  the  suspicion  of  Do- 
mitian,"  who  banished  him.  He  became  emperor  on  Sep- 
tember 18th,  A.  D.  96,  which  was  the  day  on  which  Domitian 
was  assassinated.  He  died  a.  d.  98,  having  reigned  16  months 
and  9  days. 

14.  Trajan  was  born  September  i8th,  a.  d.  52,  and  died 
in  August,  A.  D.  117.  Nerva  chose  him  as  his  successor.  He 
became  emperor  in  A.  d.  98,  and  reigned  about  19  years. 


EULOGY  ON  PONTIUS  PILATE. 

It  is  almost  impossible  for  a  Christian  to  deal  charitably 
with,  or  to  form  an  unbiased  judgment  concerning  Pilate. 
This  is  caused,  in  part,  by  the  fact  that  he  was  so  directly 
connected  with  the  condemnation  and  death  of  our  Savior, 
and  in  part  because  Christians  unconsciously  feel  that  all  their 
sympathy  must  necessarily  be  on  the  side  of  Jesus,  and  that 


148  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

it  would  be  infidel  for  them  to  fail  to  condemn  any  one  who 
was  in  any  way  connected  with  His  death.  These  forces, 
operating  in  connection  with  eighteen  hundred  years  of  preju- 
dice against  Pilate,  lead  many  to  entirely  overlook  the  divine 
will  and  divine  ordering  of  this  mysterious  tragedy.  We 
frankly  admit  that  Pontius  Pilate  committed  a  mysterious  sin 
connected  with  the  mysterious  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  but  the  turpitude  of  his  sin  is  not  to  be  determined 
by  our  prejudice  against  him,  nor  by  our  sympathy  or  love 
for  the  blessed  Savior.  He  does  not  want  our  sympathy  or 
love  when  it  will  do  the  slighest  injustice  to  a  soul. 

In  order  to  charitably  and  justly  judge  concerning  the  acts 
of  Pilate,  we  must  rid  ourselves  of  the  monster,  prejudice, 
and  have  a  careful  knowledge  of  his  historical  and  spir- 
itual surroundings.  He  was  a  heathen,  and  on  that 
account  was  not  responsible  for  his  acts  to  the  extent  he  is 
judged  to  have  been.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the 
age  in  which  he  lived  was  preeminently  infidel,  and  the  peo- 
ple among  whom  he  grew  up,  heathens  and  pagans.  In  the 
age  immediately  preceding  the  Savior's  birth,  Julius  Caesar, 
the  first  Roman  Emperor,  and,  as  such,  the  highest  authority 
in  the  state-religion,  and  in  all  religious  questions,  openly  de- 
clared, in  a  speech  in  the  Senate,  that  there  was  no  such  thing 
as  a  future  life — no  immortality  of  the  soul.  He  also  argued 
that  those  who  were  condemned  for  crimes  should  be  kept 
alive,  because  death  was  in  reality  an  escape  from  punish- 
ment, and,  therefore,  not  an  evil.  He  said  :  "  Death  is  a  rest 
from  troubles  to  those  in  grief  and  misery — not  a  punishment. 
It  ends  all  the  evils  of  life,  and  there  is  neither  care  nor  joy 
beyond  it."  In  speaking  of  this  matter.  Dr.  Geikie  says: 
*•  Nor  was  there  any  one  to  condemn  such  a  sentiment  even 
from  such  lips.  Cato,  the  ideal  Roman,  a  man  whose  aim  it 
was  to  'fulfill  all  righteousness,'  in  the  sense  in  which  he  un- 
derstood it,  passed  it  over  with  a  few  words  of  light  banter ; 


Historical  Appendix .  149 

and  Cicero,  who  was  also  present,  did  not  care  to  give  either 
assent  or  dissent,  but  left  the  question  open  as  one  which 
might  be  decided  either  way  at  pleasure"  (Vol.  I.,  p.  28). 
Edersheim,  in  speaking  of  this  age,  says:  "Religion,  philos- 
ophy and  society  had  passed  through  every  stage  to  that  of 
despair.  .  .  That  under  such  conditions  all  real  belief  in 
a  personal  continuance  after  death  must  have  ceased  among 
the  educated  classes  needs  not  demonstration."  "In  such 
circumstances,  any  thing  like  real  religion  was  manifestly 
impossible.  Rome  tolerated,  and,  indeed,  incorporated,  all 
national  rites.  But  among  the  populace  religion  had  degen- 
erated into  abject  superstition."  .  .  "The  only  religion 
on  which  the  state  insisted  was  the  deification  and  worship  of 
the  Emperor."  .  .  "  Among  the  most  repulsive  symptoms 
of  the  general  religious  decay  may  be  reckoned  prayers  for  the 
death  of  a  rich  relative,  or  even  for  the  satisfaction  of  un- 
natural lusts,  along  with  horrible  blasphemies,  when  such 
prayers  remained  unanswered."  .  .  "  It  has  been  rightly 
said  that  conscience,  as  we  understand  it,  was  unknown  to 
heathenism.  Absolute  right  did  not  exist.  Might  was  right. 
The  social  relations  exhibited,  if  possible,  even  deeper  cor- 
ruption. The  sanctity  of  marriage  ceased.  Female  dissipa- 
tion and  the  general  dissoluteness  led  at  last  to  an  almost 
entire  cessation  of  marriage.  Abortion,  and  the  exposure 
and  murder  of  newly-born  children,  were  common,  and  toler- 
ated. Unnatural  vices,  which  even  the  greatest  philosophers 
practiced,  if  not  advocated,  attained  proportions  which  defy 
description."  .  .  "What  is  worst,  the  noblest  spirits  of 
the  time  felt  that  the  state  of  things  was  utterly  hopeless. 
Society  could  not  reform  itself;  philosophy  and  religion  had 
nothing  to  offer — they  had  been  tried  and  found  wanting. 
Seneca  longed  for  some  hand  from  without  to  lift  it  up  from 
the  mire  of  despair;  Cicero  pictured  the  enthusiasm  which 
would  greet  the  embodiment  of  true  virtue,  should  it  ever  ap- 


150  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

pear  on  the  earth ;  Tacitus  declared  human  life  one  great 
farce,  and  expressed  his  conviction  that  the  Roman  world  lay 
under  some  terrible  curse"  (Edersheim,  Vol,  I.,  pp.  257— 
260). 

It  did  lay  under  such  a  curse,  and  so  does  any  nation  that 
will  write  such  epitaphs  as  the  following  on  the  tombs  of  its 
dead:  "To  eternal  sleep;"  '*  I  was  not,  and  I  became;  I 
was,  and  am  no  more."  On  the  tomb  of  a  child  :  *'  To  the 
unjust  gods  who  robbed  me  of  life."  On  the  tomb  of  a  girl 
of  twenty:  "  I  lift  my  hands  against  the  god  who  took  me 
away,  innocent  as  I  am." 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  this  dark,  heathen,  pagan  and  God- 
less age  that  the  intellectual  and  moral  natures  of  Pilate  were 
formed.  When  looked  at  in  this  dark,  historical  background 
Pilate  becomes  an  opaque  body,  and  loses  much  of  the  intel- 
ligence he  is  supposed  to  have  had,  and  is  relieved  of  much 
of  the  fearful  responsibility  that  is  said  to  have  rested  on  him 
when  dealing  with  the  immaculate  Son  of  God.  Pontius 
Pilate  could  form  no  conception  of  a  religion  that  was  sepa- 
rate and  apart  from  a  political  organization.  Therefore,  to  him, 
the  spiritual  nature  of  Jesus  and  the  spiritual  nature  of  His 
kingdom,  were  little  less  than  a  blind  myth.  What  did  he 
know  about  "  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ"?  Nothing.  What  meaning  did  he  attach  to  the 
words,  "  Son  of  God"  ?  They  were  to  him  almost  meaning- 
less. He  had  never  heard  of  a  Roman  god  of  that  name. 
He  knew  no  living  god  except  the  Emperor  —  Tiberius 
Caesar.  These  things  being  true,  the  highest  conception 
Pilate  could  have,  was  that  Jesus  was  an  innocent,  but  mis- 
guided religious  enthusiast.  By  virtue  of  his  blissful  igno- 
rance, and  by  the  virtue  of  his  noble  acts,  he  was  by  far  the 
most  innocent  man  who  was  in  any  way  guilty  of  the  death  of 
Jesus. 

When  **  the  Man  of  Sorrow "  was   first   brought  before 


Historical  Appendix,  1 5 1 

Pilate,  he  gave  the  Sanhedrists  to  distinctly  understand  that 
he  intended  Him  to  have  a  fair  and  impartial  trial,  which  is 
evidenced  by  the  very  words  in  which  he  opened  the  case : 
"What  accusation  bring  ye  against  this  Man?"  Not  only 
so,  but  at  this  early  period  he  sought  to  shift  the  responsi- 
bility of  trying  Jesus  off  on  to  the  Sanhedrists,  under  the 
plea  that  the  offense  he  was  charged  with  was  not  political 
but  ecclesiastical,  and  on  that  account  belonged  before  them, 
not  before  him. 

This  act  of  Pilate's  caused  the  Sanhedrists  to  drop  their 
religious  charge,  and  to  bring  one  of  treason  against  Jesus, 
claiming  that  He  had  set  Himself  up  as  a  King  in  direct 
opposition  to  King  Tiberius  Csesar— the  Roman  Emperor. 
This  charge,  the  shrewd  Sanhedrists  well  knew,  Pilate  dared 
not  whiff  aside.  True  to  Csesar,  true  to  the  complainants, 
true  to  the  Prisoner,  Pilate  took  Jesus  into  the  Judgment 
Hall,  and  questioned  Him  on  His  kingship.  During  this 
remarkable  interview  Jesus  informed  him  that  He  was  born  a 
king,  of  a  kingdom  that  is  not  of  this  world ;  that  His  follow- 
ers had  not  fought,  and  would  not  fight,  to  have  Him  released 
from  his  hands,  or  the  hands  of  the  Jews.  And  thus  Pilate 
reasoned  with  himself  :  "  If  His  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world, 
if  His  servants  have  not  fought  and  will  not  fight,  then  He  has 
done  the  Roman  Empire  no  harm,  and  can  not  politically  harm 
it.  With  this  decision  upon  his  tongue,  he  hastily  withdrew 
from  the  Judgment  Hall,  mounted  the  pavement,  and,  in  the 
presence  of  the  countless  throng,  enthusiastically  declared  : 
•'  I  FIND  IN  Him  no  fault  at  all." 

As  soon  as  Pilate  heard  that  Jesus  was  a  resident  of  Galilee, 
that  much  of  His  teaching  had  been  done  there,  he  sent  Him 
to  the  governor  of  that  land  (who  was  then  in  Jerusalem), 
hoping  thereby  to  rid  himself  of  the  fearful  task  of  trying  this 
mysterious  Being,  who  seemed  to  have  come  from  a  far  oft 
world.      When  Herod  returned  Jesus  to  Pilate,  he  went  out 


152  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

on  the  pavement,  summoned  the  Sanhedrists  around  him,  and 
called  them  to  record  that  he  had  formally  acquitted  Jesus ; 
that  he  had  sent  him  to  Governor  Herod  (pointing  to  him, 
for  he  was  on  the  pavement),  and  that  he  had  found  no  cause 
of  death  in  Him,  and  therefore  he  should  set  Him  free.  This 
he  sought  to  do  in  the  most  legitimate  way,  by  reminding  the 
people  that  it  was  his  custom  to  release  one  prisoner  at 
the  passover  whomsoever  they  desired,  at  the  same  time  ex- 
horting them  to  choose  the  King  of  the  Jews.  But  this  was 
met  by  a  storm  of  opposition,  and  by  a  multitude  of  cries 
from  all  sides  for  the  release  of  Barabbas.  In  the  midst  of 
the  thundering  of  their  wrath,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  riot- 
ous demonstrations,  Pilate  stepped  forward,  laid  aside  his 
judgeship  and  volunteered  himself  an  attorney  and  exhorter  in 
the  Savior's  behalf,  and  thus  began  :  "Whom  will  ye  that  I 
release  unto  you  ?  Barabbas,  the  rioter,  the  murderer,  or 
Jesus,  against  whom  there  has  been  no  crime  proven  ?  Will 
you  not  permit  Him  to  be  released  as  the  boon  of  this  pass- 
over  ?  "  No  sooner  had  he  ceased  to  speak — yea,  before  the 
words  had  died  away  upon  his  tongue  —  he  was  again  over- 
whelmed with  cries  for  Barabbas.  Half  confused,  Pilate  said 
to  them  :  '*  If  I  release  Barabbas,  what  shall  I  do  with  Jesus, 
who  is  called  Christ?"  "  Crucify  Him,  crucify  Him,"  was 
the  prompt  reply.  Then  Pilate  made  the  third  appeal : 
'*  Why  should  I  crucify  Jesus?  What  evil  has  He  done  ?  T 
have  examined  Him  concerning  every  charge  you  have  brought 
against  Him,  and  I  have  found  NO  CAUSE  of  death  in 
Him  ;  I  will  therefore  chastise  Him  and  let  Him  go." 
This  statement  set  their  blood  on  fire,  and  a  riot  on  foot. 
When  Pilate  saw  he  could  prevail  nothing,  and  that  a  hurri- 
cane of  wrath  was  ready  to  burst  upon  his  head,  he  sank  back 
into  the  judgment  seat  for  the  purpose  of  consenting  to  the 
Savior's  death.  It  was  at  this  awful  crisis-moment  that  a 
soldier  rushed  on  to  the  pavement  and  handed  an  open  com- 


Historical  Appendix,  1 5  3 

munication  to  Pilate.  It  was  a  message  from  Procla,  his  wife, 
and  read  as  follows :  '*  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  in  condemn- 
ing that  Just  Man,  whom  the  Jews  have  brought  before  thee ; 
for  I  have  suffered  everything  in  a  dream  this  morning  be- 
cause of  Him  !  Stimulated  afresh  by  this  strange  message, 
which  seemed  to  be  more  than  human,  Pilate  rose  from  the 
judgment  seat,  took  a  basin  of  water,  and  in  the  presence  of 
the  vast  deicidal  mod  symbolically  washed  his  hands,  at  the 
same  time  exclaiming  aloud:  *'  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  in 
slaying  this  just  Man,     If  you  slay  Him,  all  the  guilt  shall  be 

on  you,  for    I    AM    INNOCENT     OF    THE    BLOOD    OF   THIS    JUST 

Person  ;  see  ye  to  it."  Then  came  the  fearful,  the  hellish, 
the  awful  cry:  "We  will  gladly  take  the  responsibility;  if 
this  Man  is  slain  unjustly,  then  let  His  blood  be  on  our 
heads,  and  on  the  heads  of  our  children."  It  was  at  this 
time,  and  with  this  understanding,  that  Pilate  sat  down  on 
the  judgment  seat,  and  for  the  first  time  consented  that 
Jesus  should  be  crucified  according  to  the  deicides'  will.  He 
consented,  not  that  he  condemned  Him,  for  he  never  did  ; 
not  that  he  found  any  fault  in  Him,  for  he  did  not ;  not  that 
he  was  willing  to  have  Him  crucified,  for  he  had  defended 
him  singlehanded,  alone,  and  that,  too,  at  the  risk  of  His  own 
life,  and  at  the  risk  of  the  lives  of  hundreds.  He  consented 
because  he  thought  he  did  not  have  the  power  to  save  His 
life,  and  because  he  thought  it  better  to  sacrifice  Him  to  their 
will  than  that  the  street  should  flow  with  blood.  This 
thought  is  most  clearly  set  forth  in  Pilate's  report  of  the 
death  of  Jesus  to  Tiberius  Caesar,  in  which  he  says  :  •'  I  have 
been  at  length  forced  to  consent  to  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  prevent  a  tumult  among  the  Jews,  though  it  was 
very  much  against  my  will;  for  the  world  never  saw,  and 
probably  never  will  see,  a  man  of  such  extraordinary  piety 
and  uprightness.  .  .  I  did  all  I  could  to  save  Him  from 
the  malice  of  the  Jews,  but  the   fear  of  a  total  insurrection 


154  The  Trials  of  Christ. 

made  me  sacrifice  Him  to  the  peace  and  interests  of  your  em- 
pire "  (Quoted  by  Kitto). 

Pilate's  boldness,  trueness  to  and  love  for  Jesus,  become 
still  more  evident  when  we  consider  that  after  he  had  public- 
ly promised  the  Jews  that  he  would  crucify  Him,  after  he 
had  Him  scourged,  after  ordering  His  cross  to  be  hastily 
made  and  taken  to  the  place  of  execution,  after  writing  the 
title  for  it,  after  ordering  his  soldiers  to  form  in  line  at  the 
pavement  preparatory  to  the  Calvary  march  ;  yea,  as  he  was 
passing  through  the  judgment  hall  to  the  pavement,  prepar- 
atory to  going  to  Calvary,  he  saw  "the  Man  of  Sorrow,'* 
with  tied  hands,  bruised,  mangled,  crowned  with  thorns,  the 
blood  oozing  from  a  score  of  gashes,  coursing  its  way  down 
His  cheeks,  down  His  beard  and  garment  even  to  the  floor. 
As  he  stood  and  gazed  in  the  pale  face  of  the  friendless,  de- 
fenseless, swooning,  bleeding  Christ  —  clothed  in  a  scarlet 
robe,  soaked  through  and  through  with  His  blood  —  then  it 
was  his  Roman  heart  melted  into  pity,  that  he  revoked  his 
promise  to  crucify  Him,  and  resolved  that  at  all  hazards  He 
should  have  one  more  trial,  one  more  chance  to  save  His  life. 
With  this  resolution  burning  in  his  soul,  he  rushed  out  on  the 
pavement,  and  to  the  great  astonishment  and  utter  indigna- 
tion of  the  howling  mob,  exclaimed  :  "  Behold,  I  bring  Him 

FORTH   TO  YOU  THAT  YE   MAY  KNOMr  THAT  I  FIND  NO  FAULT 

IN  Him." 

In  order  to  prevent  a  riot  Pilate  left  the  pavement  with  a 
promise  on  his  tongue  that  he  would  crucify  Jesus ;  therefore 
the  multitude  confidently  expected  when  he  returned  from 
the  palace  it  would  be  to  proceed  to  Calvary  at  once,  but 
when  he  returned,  to  their  great  astonishment,  he  boldly  re- 
voked the  promise  to  crucify,  and  announced  the  Prisoner 
innocent.  Revoked  the  promise  with  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  in  so  doing  he  hazarded  his  own  life  and  the 
lives  of  hundreds  of  others.    This  act  required  true  boldness. 


Historical  Appendix.  155 

strong  love  for  justice,  if  not  love  for  Jesus,  and  we  are  not 
much  surprised  that  Tertullian  called  Pilate  a  "Christian  in 
conscience."  We  deny  that  Pontius  Pilate  was  a  coward,  but 
assert  him  to  have  been  the  boldest  and  truest  non-professing 
friend  Jesus  had  in  Jerusalem  at  that  time,  as  the  sequel 
plainly  shows.  When  Pilate  pronounced  Jesus  innocent,  he 
had  him  brought  out  on  the  pavement,  wearing  the  crown  of 
thorns  and  the  bloody,  purple  robe,  and  sought  to  touch  a 
chord  of  sympathy  in  the  hearts  of  the  multitude  by  calling 
on  them  to  "Behold  the  Man."  But  there  was  no  sympa- 
thy for  Jesus,  in  all  that  vast  multitude  that  dared  express  itself 
in  words.  On  the  other  hand,  cries  of  "  Crucify  Him,  cruci- 
fy Him,  crucify  Him,"  rose  from  every  side.  And  now,  will 
no  one  speak  in  the  Lord's  behalf?  Will  not  some  one  of 
His  apostles  enter  a  protest  against  this  crucifixion  cry  ? 
Where  is  the  fiery  Peter,  who  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  in 
the  midst  of  a  storm,  trod  the  proud  waves  of  the  angry 
Galilean  sea?  Will  he  not  now  speak  out  for  his  Lord  and 
Master?  Where  are  "the  sons  of  thunder,"  who  desired  to 
call  fire  from  heaven  on  the  enemies  of  Jesus?  Will  not  they 
defend  their  Master  in  this.  His  extreme  humiliation?  Silence 
reigns.  Where  is  the  lovely  and  the  beloved  John,  "  that 
disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  "  —  the  one  whose  head  rested  on 
his  Savior's  bosom  at  the  Paschal  Supper,  and  also  at  the  Sup- 
per of  the  Lord  ?  Will  he  not  now  speak  out  for  Christ  ? 
No  voice  is  heard.  Where  are  the  holy  women,  who  so 
faithfully  administered  to  Jesus'  wants  in  far  off  Galilee,  and 
followed  Him  from  there  to  here  ?  Will  they  not  cry  aloud 
for  Jesus  ?  An  awful  stillness  breaks  the  silence.  Where  is 
Mary,  the  tender  mother  of  Jesus?  Standing  weeping  on  the 
outside  of  the  vast  throng,  with  a  broken,  bleeding  heart,  and 
so  choked  with  sorrow  she  can  not  speak.  Is  there  not  one 
soul  in  this  multitude  of  thousands  and  thousands  who  will 
speak  one  word  in  the  bleeding  Savior's  behalf?     Is  there 


156  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

who  dares  lift  up  his  voice  in  behalf  of  the  thorn-crowned, 
pale-faced,  bleeding  Christ.  Who  is  he?  The  hated, 
heathen  Roman  governor  of  Judsea — Pontius  Pilate :  hear 
his  grand  proclamation,  every  word  of  which  is  worthy  to  be 
printed  in  letters  of  fine  gold,  set  in  a  background  of  seven 
times  refined  silver, — "If  Jesus  must  be  put  to  death, 

THEN  YOU  MUST  TAKE  HiM,  AND  CRUCIFY  HiM  YOURSELVES  ; 
FOR,  I  WILL  NOT  DO  IT;    FOR  I  FIND  NO  FAULT  IN  HiM." 

The  terrible  and  trying  circumstances  under  which  these 
words  were  spoken,  make  them  the  grandest  and  sweetest 
sentence  that  ever  fell  from  the  lips  of  Pilate;  and  should 
win  for  him  a  place  of  affection  in  every  Christian  heart. 
God  be  thanked  there  was  one  man  (though  a  heathen)  who 
stood  up  for  Jesus  to  the  last,  declaring  Him  to  be  innocent. 
It  matters  not  what  a  few  moments  or  sentences  may  bring 
forth ;  for  this  grand  act,  Pontius  Pilate  deserves  to  have  his 
name  trumpeted  from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other. 

As  soon  as  the  Sanhedrists  saw  that  Pilate  had  acquitted 
Jesus  of  the  political  charge ;  they  dropped  it,  and  brought 
up  the  original  one,  claiming  that  He  had  blasphemed  in 
that  '*  He  made  Himself  the  Son  of  God."  This  was  the 
first  time  this  charge  had  been  made  against  Jesus,  before 
Pilate ;  therefore,  he  took  Him  into  the  Judgment  Hall,  and 
asked  Him  whether  He  was  of  this,  or  from  some  other 
world  ;  and  as  an  answer  receiyed — silence.  Then  Pilate  said 
to  Jesus,  "  Speakest  Thou  not  to  me — to  me — representative 
of  the  Roman  World  ?  Knowest  Thou  not  that  at  the  nod- 
ding of  my  head,  the  Jews  would  instantly  crucify  Thee? 
Knowest  Thou  not  that  Thy  cross  has  been  taken  to  Calvary 
and  is  awaiting  Thy  coming?  Knowest  Thou  not  that  I 
have  power  to  crucify  Thee,  and  power  to  set  Thee  free,  and 
speakest  Thou  not  to  me?  Jesus  then  said  unto  him, 
**  Pilate,  thou  couldest  have  no  power  whatever  over  Me,  if 
it  had  not  been  given  thee  by  my  Father  in  heaven ;  but  I 


Historical  Appendix.  157 

say  unto  thee,  that  Joseph  Caiaphas,  who  delivered  Me  to 
thee  hath  a  greater  sin  to  answer  for  than  thou  hast." 
These  words  breathed  enough  of  an  unknown  world,  and  an 
unknown  God,  to  make  Pilate  more  anxious  than  ever  to 
release  his  mysterious  Prisoner.  Therefore  he  left  Jesus  in 
the  Judgment  Hall,  went  out  on  the  pavement,  and  again 
plead  to  save  his  life — which  was  an  acquittal  of  the  charge 
of  blasphemy.  As  soon  as  Pilate  had  acquitted  Jesus,  the 
Sanhedrists  dropped  the  charge  of  blasphemy,  and  returned 
to  the  charge  of  treason;  claiming  that  Jesus  had  spoken 
against  Caesar,  and  was  guilty  of  treason  against  the  Roman 
Empire ;  and  that  if  he  let  Him  go,  he  would  also  be  guilty 
of  treason,  and  would  be  so  reported  to  Caesar.  Pilate  then 
had  Jesus  led  out  on  the  pavement,  still  wearing  the  purple- 
bloody-robe,  and  with  the  crown  of  thorns  still  sticking  in 
His  head.  This  done,  he  sat  down  on  the  judgment-seat  for 
the  second  time ;  to  give  the  assenting  sentence  of  death ; 
and  as  he  tremblingly  gazed  in  the  pale  and  bloody  face  of 
the  miraculously  silent  Sufferer,  the  tenderest  chord  of  his 
soul  was  touched,  and  he  sought  once  more  to  reach  a  chord 
of  sympathy  in  the  hearts  of  the  Jews,  by  pointing  to  Jesus, 
and  exclaiming  to  them, — "Behold  your  King."  There 
was  no  sympathy  there — nothing  but  murder,  for  they  cried 
out,  "Away  with  Him,  away  with  Him,  crucify  Him." 

Pilate  then  saw  that  his  lips  must  very  soon  pronounce  the 
dreadful,  fatal  words;  but  chokes  of  utterance,  and  can  not 
speak  them  now ;  for  other  words  crowd  upon  his  tongue 
and  struggle  into  birth  :  "Shall  I  crucify  your  King?  " 
Then  the  chief  priests  gave  a  riotous — the  victorious  yell: 
**  We  have  no  king  but  C^sar." 

The  awful  crisis  is  this  moment  at  hand;  for  Pilate  dis- 
tinctly sees  that  to  further  defend  the  Savior  would  cause  a 
bloody  riot,  and  implicate  himself  in  a  charge  of  treason  to 
the   Roman   Emperor.     Therefore,    after    seven    distinct   ac- 


158  The   Trials  of  Christ. 

quittals,  and  many  manly  efforts  to  save  the  Savior's  life,  ho 
consents,  against  his  will,  that  He  may  be  crucified.  But 
then,  was  there  not  a  divine  power  over  Pilate  that  stayed 
his  hand  ?     Here  let  the  curtain  fall. 


INDEX. 


Annas,  History  of, .121 

Annas,  Jesus  before,  ......  7 

Antipas,  History  of,         ......         -  121 

Antipas,  Jesus  before,  .         .         .         .         .         •  57 

Barabbas,        .........     64 

Bethabara,  .         .         .         .         ,         .         ,         .        126 

Blasphemy,     .........   123 

Bloodiest  parties,         .......  21 

Caesars,  .........   144 

Caiaphas,  Palace  of, ,         .  16 

Caiaphas,  History  of,      ......         .   125 

Caiaphas,  Jesus  before,        ......  18 

Calvary,  On  the  way  to,  ......     91 

Chronological  Synopsis,       ......  c 

Council  Chamber,  .......     32 

Cross,  Diagram  of,       .......  98 

Crosses,  Position  of,         ......         .   108 

Crucifixion,  History  of,       .....         .        129 

Crucifixion,  that  of  Jesus.       ......     97 

Crucifixion,  that  of  robbers,        .....  99 

Crucifixion,  how  conducted,  ....    lOO,  loi 

Darkness,   .  .  .  .         .         .  .         .         .111 

Death  sentence,       ........     35 

Deicides, 116 

Dying  utterances,    .         .         .         .         ,         ,         .         .113 

Eloi 1,1 

Emperors,  Roman, 144 

Garments, I02 

Golgotha, 95 

Herod,  Palace  of, 42,  48,  60,  137 

Herod,  Jesus  before, 57 

«*I  thirst,"  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .112 

159 


i6o 


Index. 


"It  is  finished,"     . 

Jordan  and  Bethabara, 

Judas,  Death  of, 

Judas,  Greswell  on,    . 

Judas,  Edersheim  on. 

Miracles,     . 

Mocking  Jesus, 

Mother  of  Jesus, 

Pavement, 

Peter's  five  denials,     . 

Peter's  footsteps.  Diagram  of, 

Pilate,  Jesus  taken  to, 

Pilate,  Jesus  before  (i), 

Pilate  acquits  Jesus,    . 

Pilate,  Jesus  before  (2), 

Pilate  consents  to  Jesus'  death 

Pilate  scourges  Jesus, 

Pilate,  Jesus  before  (3), 

Pilate,  Eulogy  on, 

Pharisees  sunk  out  of  sight, 

Philo,      .... 

Procurators  of  Judaea, 

Revenges  of  history. 

Robbers,  The  dying, 

Sanhedrists,  Jesus  before, 

Sanhedrin,  Jesus  before,     . 

Sanhedrin,  Jesus  condemned  by, 

Sanhedrin,  The  great, 

Scarlet  robe,  . 

Scourging, 

Side  of  Jesus, 

Synagogue,  The  great, 

Thorns,  Crown  of, 

Title,  when  written,    . 

Treason,  Charge  of, 


126, 


29, 


57> 


75 


12 
27 
36 
37 
38 
15 

,  106,  107 
109 
•  139 
24,  25 
.     16 
44 
47-54 
54 
62-70 
70 
.     72 
84-90 
[47-158 
20 
.   142 
144 
.     69 
107 
.     18 

'    35 
132 

75-77 
72-74 
.  117 
136 
.  78 
79 
.  51 


DATE  DUE 


DEMCO  38-297 


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BS2425  .588 

The  trials  and  crucifixion  of  Christ. 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1   1012  00053  7508 


